To: The Illinois State House and The Illinois State Senate
Support Common Sense Discipline for Illinois
By signing this petition you support a positive change in how students are supported to succeed across the State of Illinois, and how we invest in students by bringing the Illinois School Code in line
Why is this important?
For too long, students have been impacted by a system of overly harsh discipline while there are common sense alternatives that develop strong, healthy, school communities. The current system has had a devastating impact on students, especially students of color, LGBT students, students with disabilities, and ELL students who are disproportionately impacted, as well as taxpayers who continue to shoulder the cost of this ineffective system.
-Research into state records has shown that in the 2010-2011 school year, Illinois
students lost 1,117,453 instructional days due to disciplinary actions.
-The overuse of exclusionary discipline contributes to the dire fiscal situation in Illinois. It costs six times more to incarcerate a student than to educate one.
-While the impact of exclusionary discipline touches all students, regardless of race or gender, a 2012 study of federal civil rights data found that Illinois suspends proportionally more African-American students than any other state in the U.S.,
including a Black-White suspension disparity that is the highest in the country.
In Peoria, a Black student is 4 times more likely to be suspended than a White student; in Chicago, a Black student is 4.9 times more likely; in Proviso, a Black student is 10 times more likely.
Signed,
VOYCE
-Research into state records has shown that in the 2010-2011 school year, Illinois
students lost 1,117,453 instructional days due to disciplinary actions.
-The overuse of exclusionary discipline contributes to the dire fiscal situation in Illinois. It costs six times more to incarcerate a student than to educate one.
-While the impact of exclusionary discipline touches all students, regardless of race or gender, a 2012 study of federal civil rights data found that Illinois suspends proportionally more African-American students than any other state in the U.S.,
including a Black-White suspension disparity that is the highest in the country.
In Peoria, a Black student is 4 times more likely to be suspended than a White student; in Chicago, a Black student is 4.9 times more likely; in Proviso, a Black student is 10 times more likely.
Signed,
VOYCE