Archive for category: Action Alerts

Action Alert

Great news!

The criminal justice reform bill that was recently released by the Senate (S2170) includes key provisions we support from H.328/S.876, An Act decriminalizing non-violent and verbal student misconduct.

These important provisions eliminate the practice of arresting students for minor behavioral infractions and establish standards and accountability for police in schools. This is an issue that disproportionately affects students of color and students with disabilities, and is a crucial component of our work to disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline.

Another important provision of these bills relates to data collection. Right now, the information and reporting on school arrests is scattered and incomplete. S2170 would require establishing systems for arrest data collection, reporting, and publication – similar to the reporting system for school suspensions.

I want to thank you for standing with us to push these bills to the front of the conversation! Your hard work will ensure that we keep kids in class where they belong.

But it’s not over yet!

We need you to call or email your state Senator and ask him/her to support these provisions in S2170. We’ve made it easy for you by providing a script that you can use below!

Click here to find contact information for your State Senator and then call or email them using the script below!

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Script:

Hi, my name is ________ and I am calling to encourage Senator _______ to support comprehensive juvenile justice reform that prioritizes the wellbeing of students. Sections 13, 174, and 175 of  Senate Bill 2170, (the omnibus criminal justice reform)  support school discipline that moves away from unnecessary arrests and requires data collection and reporting of school based arrests.

• These provisions would:
  1. eliminate the practice of arresting students for minor behavioral infractions;
  2. establish standards and accountability for police in schools; and
  3. require establishing systems for arrest data collection, reporting, and publication – similar to school suspensions.

• These provisions are necessary because:
  • Unnecessarily arresting students ruins lives and encourages youth to drop out of school.
  • Students who drop out are more likely to go to prison, earn less income and rely more on public benefits than students who complete school.
  • Student arrests disproportionately target students of color and students with disabilities.
  • No data is currently collected or reported about school based arrests.
  • Data collection will inform us on the prevalence and reasons for arresting students.
  • Reporting school arrests would be a simple additional requirement to reporting that school districts already file with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

• Please support a final Criminal Justice Reform bill that includes these provisions!

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Join us and call or email your State Senator today!

Thank you for your continued support.

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Action Alert

What is “lunch shaming?”

“Lunch shaming” is a harsh disciplinary practice in which students who cannot pay their school lunch bill or have outstanding debt on their account are punished. Examples of lunch shaming include:

• Stamping children on the arm with the phrase “I Need Lunch Money”
• Forcing children to complete chores in front of fellow students to work off the debt
• Requiring cafeteria workers to throw away a child’s hot lunch if they cannot afford it

It’s hard to believe these draconian policies are still being used around the country in 2017. While some schools claim it is the only way to get families to pay up, these policies humiliate and stigmatize children and low-income families.

Nearly half of all school districts use lunch shaming.

Our friends at New Mexico Appleseed have been working tirelessly to challenge lunch shaming and ban it from their state, advocating for the rights of hungry children and low-income families. The central argument is, while lunch debt is a problem for schools, in no way should the children be left hungry, humiliated, and less likely to learn. Instead, school officials must work with the parents or guardians to come up with a solution and leave the children out of it.

AND IT WORKED!

Thanks to support from both parties and the fierce advocacy of New Mexico Appleseed, Gov. Susana Martinez signed the Hunger-Free Students’ Bill of Rights this past April. The law applies to all schools – public, private, or religious – that receive federal subsidies for breakfast and lunch programs.

Now the fight is going national, with bipartisan leadership unveiling federal legislation designed to outlaw lunch shaming and better ensure no student goes hungry, regardless of their ability to pay.

Join us to end lunch shaming for good!

The proposed legislation, S.1064 and H.R.2401, aims to:

• Prohibit punishments of any kind for students short on lunch money or who have an outstanding balance on their account
• Ban the “marking” or identifying of students who owe lunch debt
• Prevent schools from withholding food from children
• Encourage schools to ensure eligible children are enrolled in free or reduced-price meal programs
• Make paying off lunch debt easier for parents and guardians through online systems

Keep humiliation tactics out of schools!

Sign your organization up to endorse this crucial federal legislation TODAY.

Massachusetts Appleseed, along with many others, has signed on to endorse bills S.1064 and H.R.2401. Lunch shaming reminds us that we have a long way to go in our schools in ensuring equal treatment for all students.

Be sure to check your email for more updates soon, and donate here to support our work at the state level in education and access to justice!

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.

Action Alert

The Massachusetts House of Representatives and Senate have both finalized their initial FY18 budget proposals. Now the fight moves to the Budget Conference Committee, in which six members are tasked with working through the differences between the House and Senate budget recommendations on a variety of issues. Here’s a quick reminder about where things stand for the 3 budget areas that are a priority for MA Appleseed:

Housing Courts

Thanks to Senator Spilka’s leadership, the statewide Housing Court expansion (line item 0036-0003) was included in the final Senate Budget proposal. Neighborhoods under attack from gentrification and families threatened with eviction need access to a housing court. District courts simply do not have the resources or expertise necessary to protect the 31% of Massachusetts residents currently without access. We cannot allow the recent traction gained on the housing court expansion to slip away. It is critical that the Conference Committee adopt Outside Sections 121-135 to enable the expansion of the Housing Court and $1 million in line item 0036-0003 to fund that expansion.

Civil Legal Aid

Low-income people experiencing civil legal problems are not eligible for court-appointed attorneys – they rely on civil legal aid programs. These programs are essential to the safety and stability of low-income individuals and families. Without it, low-income residents of Massachusetts will face crises in such areas as housing, employment, health care, immigration, and domestic violence. Due to a lack of funding, legal aid organizations are forced to turn away 64% of eligible people in need of help. The House and Senate both recommended $20 million in funding for MLAC (line item 0321-1600). We must ensure this vital funding is adopted by the Conference Committee and included in the legislature’s final FY18 budget.

Homeless Youth

Line item 4000-0007 funds services for unaccompanied homeless youth and young adults aged 24 and younger. The Senate budget includes $2.5 million in funding for these services, $500,000 more than the total FY17 spending and $1.96 million above the House FY18 recommendation. The Conference Committee will be in charge of reconciling that difference and deciding on a final number. Let them know that you support investing in these indispensable services for homeless youth!

The important work of these programs critical to low-income families and homeless youth can only continue if the Conference Committee provides adequate funding!

Contact the conferees directly to ask them to:

1. Adopt Outside Sections 131-135 in the Senate budget to enable the expansion of the Housing Court and $1 million in line item 00036-0003 to fund that expansion;
2. Include $20 million in funding for civil legal aid via the MLAC line item 0321-1600;
3. Adopt the Senate’s higher proposed funding level of $2.5 million for services for homeless youth (line item 4000-0007). Additional funds will help to ensure that more young people can be served.

The conferees are meeting RIGHT NOW and will continue to meet throughout the month of June to finalize the Legislature’s recommendations for the 2018 fiscal year that will begin on July 1st so it is imperative that you ACT NOW!

The House conferees are:

• Representative Brian Dempsey of Haverhill
  617-722-2990
  Brian.Dempsey@mahouse.gov
• Representative Stephen Kulik of Worthington
  617-722-2380 or 413-977-3580
  Stephen.Kulik@mahouse.gov
• Representative Todd Smola of Warren
  617-722-2100
  Todd.Smola@mahouse.gov

The Senate conferees are:

• Senator Karen Spilka of Ashland
  617-722-1640
  Karen.Spilka@masenate.gov
• Senator Sal DiDomenico of Everett
  617-722-1650
  Sal.DiDomenico@masenate.gov
• Senator Vinny deMacedo
  617-722-1330 or 508-747-6500
  Vinny.deMacedo@masenate.gov

Want to do more? Ask your State Representative and Senator to weigh in with the conferees in support of the housing courts, civil legal aid, and unaccompanied homeless youth TODAY!

Not sure who to call? Click here!

One call can make the difference. Please join us and stand up for justice for all and services for homeless youth.

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

Action Alert

 

Boston’s exam schools, the top schools in our city, have long been held out as the merit-based means of upward mobility for the children of Boston’s working class families.

But admissions data show a troubling trend of discrimination.

The data show under-enrollment of African American and Latino students persisting across Boston’s exam schools, particularly at Boston Latin School (BLS).

Increasing access to Boston’s exams schools for students representing the diversity of the district is critical to the goal of advancing racial justice in the city. A coalition of organizations has formed to increase public understanding of the issues and engage communities across Boston in a series of collaborative conversations about creative and feasible solutions to increase access to Boston’s most prestigious public educational institutions.

A coalition of organizations has formed to increase public understanding of the issues and engage communities across Boston in a series of collaborative conversations about creative and feasible solutions to increase access to Boston’s most prestigious public educational institutions.

These organizations include:

• JP Progressives 
• West Roxbury/Roslindale Progressives
• The Boston Branch of the NAACP
• The Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice
• Massachusetts Advocates for Children
• The ACLU of Massachusetts
• The Black Educators Alliance of Massachusetts (BEAM) and…

MA Appleseed!

We are joining forces with these incredible organizations to host a community conversation on racial equity in Boston’s exam schools. We are co-sponsoring the first event TONIGHT,Tuesday, July 11, at the First Baptist in Jamaica Plain, located at 633 Centre Street! Come join us as we review disparities in exam school invitations (per the Broken Mirror Report),consider alternatives to our current admissions policy, determine questions we have for the Boston Public Schools, and explore initial points of consensus among attendees on admissions alternatives!

JOIN THE CONVERSATION!

First Baptist Church
633 Centre Street
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130

@ 7 PM TONIGHT!

We hope to see you there!

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

Action Alert

The Massachusetts House of Representatives and Senate have both finalized their initial FY18 budget proposals. Thank you for your hard work over the past few months. Your advocacy for funding to support access to justice for all and resources for homeless youth makes a difference!

But it’s not over yet. 

Now the fight moves to the Budget Conference Committee, in which six members are tasked with working through the differences between the House and Senate budget recommendations on a variety of issues. Here’s a quick reminder about where things stand for the 3 budget areas that are a priority for MA Appleseed:

• Housing Courts
  Thanks to Senator Spilka‘s leadership, the statewide Housing Court expansion (line item 0036-0003) was included in the final Senate Budget proposal. Neighborhoods under attack from gentrification and families threatened with eviction need access to a housing court.District courts simply do not have the resources or expertise necessary to protect the 31% of Massachusetts residents currently without access. We cannot allow the recent traction gained on the housing court expansion to slip away. It is critical that the Conference Committee adopt Outside Sections 121-135 to enable the expansion of the Housing Court and $1 million in line item 0036-0003 to fund that expansion.
• Civil Legal Aid
  Low-income people experiencing civil legal problems are not eligible for court-appointed attorneys – they rely on civil legal aid programs. These programs are essential to the safety and stability of low-income individuals and families. Without it, low-income residents of Massachusetts will face crises in such areas as housing, employment, health care, immigration, and domestic violence. Due to a lack of funding, legal aid organizations are forced to turn away 64% of eligible people in need of help. The House and Senate both recommended $20 million in funding for MLAC(line item 0321-1600). We must ensure this vital funding is adopted by the Conference Committee and included in the legislature’s final FY18 budget.
• Homeless Youth
  Line item 4000-0007 funds services for unaccompanied homeless youth and young adults aged 24 and younger. The Senate budget includes $2.5 million in funding for these services,$500,000 more than the total FY17 spending and $1.96 million above the House FY18 recommendation. The Conference Committee will be in charge of reconciling that difference and deciding on a final number. Let them know that you support investing in these indispensable services for homeless youth!

The important work of these programs critical to low-income families and homeless youth can only continue if the Conference Committee provides adequate funding!

Contact the conferees directly to ask them to:

1. Adopt Outside Sections 131-135 in the Senate budget to enable the expansion of the Housing Court and $1 million in line item 00036-0003 to fund that expansion;
2. Include $20 million in funding for civil legal aid via the MLAC line item 0321-1600;
3. Adopt the Senate’s higher proposed funding level of $2.5 million for services for homeless youth (line item 4000-0007). Additional funds will help to ensure that more young people can be served.

The conferees are meeting RIGHT NOW and will continue to meet throughout the month of June to finalize the Legislature’s recommendations for the 2018 fiscal year that will begin on July 1st so it is imperative that you ACT NOW!

The House conferees are:

• Representative Brian Dempsey of Haverhill
• Representative Stephen Kulik of Worthington
• Representative Todd Smola of Warren

The Senate conferees are:

• Senator Karen Spilka of Ashland
• Senator Sal DiDomenico of Everett
• Senator Vinny deMacedo

Want to do more? Ask your State Representative and Senator to weigh in with the conferees in support of the housing courts, civil legal aid, and unaccompanied homeless youth TODAY!

Not sure who to call? Click here!

One call can make the difference. Please join us and stand up for justice for all and services for homeless youth.

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.