Lawyers for Racial Justice: Ending School Pushouts
Overview
For over two years, Lawyers for Good Government’s policy team has been building alliances with nonprofit organizations at the crossroads of racial justice and children’s rights. We work with these partners to identify their legal research needs, work with you, our pro bono partners to conduct legal research to meet those needs. So far, we have partnered on three separate issues — Corporal Punishment in Schools, Police in Schools, and Child Farmworkers — to the great appreciation of our nonprofit partners. We were recently approached by another nonprofit partner requesting assistance on ending school pushouts, and we look forward to working with you again to provide this vital assistance.
Federally, there is a bill known as the Ending PUSHOUT Act, introduced by Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, which seeks to end unnecessary suspensions and expulsions, and especially the disproportionate suspensions and expulsions of children of color. As Congresswoman Pressley’s office describes:
“Black girls are 7 times more likely to be suspended from school and 4 times more likely to be arrested at school, compared to white girls. Even as early as preschool, where Black girls make up only 20% of all girls, they make up more than half of all out of school suspensions.
Latina girls are 1.6 times more likely than white girls to receive an out of school suspension.
Native American youth make up just one percent of students in school, yet Native American girls are three times more likely to be suspended than white girls.
Corporal punishment (e.g., spanking and paddling) is still permitted in 19 states across the country and is disproportionately administered on Black students and students with disabilities.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) students of color are almost twice as likely to be suspended as their white peers.
Increased policing in schools has been shown to increase surveillance and criminalization of students—especially students of color.”
This project aims to conduct a 50 state analysis of state laws around suspension and expulsion in K-12 public schools, to help allies fighting for reform at the state and national levels.
Project Details
Seeking attorneys from law firms and/or corporate legal departments to research the law in 50 states plus DC, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and US Virgin Islands
Data will allow L4GG to produce a report and uplift model legislation
Clear written instructions and mentorship provided
No prior experience required
Approximately 6 hours of work per state/territory
Deadline is COB on Friday, June 16, 2023
To express interest in this project, please fill out the form on this page and select “Lawyers for Racial Justice: Ending School Pushouts” in the Projects field. Where you are prompted on the form, please provide an estimate of how many of your attorneys you think will be interested and how many states/territories your attorneys will be able to take on.