Fix School Discipline Toolkit for Educators | Page 77

SCHOOL DISCIPLINE POLICY AND SCHOOL
CLIMATE BILL OF RIGHTS
On May 14, 2013, building upon the school discipline
reform work begun in the Discipline Foundation
Policy and in response to a community-led school
discipline reform campaign, which included Dignity
in School Los Angeles and Brothers Sons Selves
and its strategic partners, the LAUSD Board of
Education (the Board) adopted the School Discipline
Policy and School Climate Bill of Rights (SCBR).
The SCBR directed the Superintendent to eliminate
suspensions and expulsions for “willful defiance”
(Cal. Ed. Code 48900(k)) by Fall 2013 and implement
restorative justice in all schools by 2020. Other
notable features include:
 Collecting and publicly sharing aggregate
discipline data disaggregated by subgroup and
by type of disciplinary action at the district and
school levels
 Defining the role of police on school campuses
and limiting police involvement in nonthreatening school discipline actions
 Requiring that schools demonstrate that they
have exhausted all alternatives to suspension
before suspending a student for non-mandatory
offenses
 Creating a complaint process for parents
and students if SWPBIS has not been fully
implemented at their school-site

OAKLAND UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
(OUSD)
Restorative Justice Initiative Resolution
In December 2009, the OUSD Board of Education
(OUSD Board) passed a resolution to launch
a district-wide Restorative Justice Initiative to
institute Restorative Justice as a proactive approach
to student behavior. This Initiative included
professional development of administrators and
school site staff, redesign of District discipline
structures and practices, and promotion of
alternatives to suspension at every school.
Implementation of this initiative included
partnership with local law enforcement, Alameda
County Probation Department, and the State
Disproportionate Minority Contact Office to

“promote a district-wide ‘Culture of Caring’
serving the whole child, which promotes both
social-emotional and intellectual development.”
The resolution included that “success” would be
dependent on “the meaningful inclusion of students,
parents, teachers, administrators, and OUSD
leadership in efforts to create a safe and equitable
learning environment where all students can excel.”
More information about implementation and
progress can be found at http://publicportal.ousd.k12.
ca.us/1994105819855310/site/default.asp

Former OUSD Superintendent Tony Smith said of the
VRP, “This agreement is a powerful and positive
step that will force Oakland – regardless of
who is elected to the school board or who
is running the school – to stay on track in
reducing suspensions.
Office of Civil Rights Voluntary Resolution
Plan (VRP) addressing disproportionate use of
suspension and expulsion
In May 2012, Urban Strategies Council published
a report that revealed that African American
boys comprise 17% of OUSD