Creating a School Environment That's Fair and Just for Students

Speaking Freely With the ACLU-PA

Students around the state returned to full-time, in-person this school year, and their return revealed yet again the need for supports that help them succeed academically, socially, and emotionally. Unfortunately, in this environment, some schools continue to rely on police to handle routine discipline. In this episode, ACLU-PA Community Advocate Ghadah Makoshi explains the programming that benefits students and prevents conflicts from occurring in the first place, the policy choices that schools are making, and who is most likely to be impacted by police presence in schools. Ghadah also discusses a new ACLU-PA report, which she co-authored, that reveals that students in Allegheny County public schools are more likely to be arrested in school than their peers around the state, that Black students and students with disabilities are arrested disproportionately in the county's public schools, and that many districts are not reporting their arrest data to state and federal agencies, as required by law. The report is available at this link: https://aclupa.org/en/publications/student-arrests-allegheny-county-schools-need-transparency-and-accountability Ghadah's blog post "Students Need More Support and Compassion, not Increased Punishment" is available here: https://aclupa.org/en/news/students-need-more-support-and-compassion-not-increased-punishment