Action Alert

We need your help. 

Last week, the omnibus criminal justice reform bill (S.2200) passed the Senate with the provisions we support from H.328/S.876, An Act decriminalizing non-violent and verbal student misconduct.

These provisions include:

  1. decriminalizing non-violent misconduct in schools by eliminating the crime of disturbing school assembly; and
  2. requiring that MOUs between schools and police departments include certain provisions clarifying that SROs should not be involved in routine disciplinary actions for non-violent school infractions and outlining data collection methods and responsibilities.

But these life-saving provisions are not included in the House bill (H4011).

Research shows that arrests of students for non-violent behavior disproportionately affect students of color and students with disabilities, and the impact can be devastating. A student who is arrested in school is three times more likely to drop out and is subsequently more likely to go to prison, earn less income, and rely more on public benefits.

Representative Aaron Vega has filed Amendment 86 to include these critical provisions and representatives are debating amendments TODAY. 

Please take a minute NOW to call or email your representative and urge them to support Amendment 86!

If the following representatives are yours, please join us in thanking them for co-sponsoring Amendment 86!

These common-sense reforms would move schools away from unnecessary arrests and ensure school resource officers get training in child development, de-escalation techniques, and implicit bias. With your help, this will be a major step in keeping kids in class and out of the school-to-prison pipeline. 

Click here to find your representative’s contact information and call TODAY!

Thank you for your continued support.

Want to stay informed on the latest issues Massachusetts Appleseed is working on?
Sign up for future action alerts.

0 replies

Leave a Reply

Want to join the discussion?
Feel free to contribute!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *