Youth Justice at a Crossroad – The Intersection of Data, Policy & Advocacy
with Kathryn Wasserman Davis Child Advocacy Lecture by
Dr. Edward Fergus, Professor of Urban Education, Rutgers University
Wednesday, October 11, 2023 from 8:00-10:00 AM
at the Sleepy Hollow Hotel & Conference Center, Tarrytown, NY
WCA’s 2024 annual fall advocacy breakfast will focus on the intersectionality of data, policy and advocacy, highlighting the importance of “Solutions Not Suspensions” legislation. This bill aims to regulate suspensions to a last-resort response for student misbehavior, prioritizing alternative approaches that foster accountability and learning from mistakes.
In New York, students lose hundreds of thousands of days in classrooms each year because of suspensions, often for normal youthful behavior. This disproportionately impacts Black and Latinx students, people with disabilities and LGBTQ+ youth. Importantly, this bill would allow New York to take a big step away from the biased policies of the past.
