Contact Councilmembers TODAY to voice your support for Bill 22-594, the “Student Fair Access to School Act!”

On Tuesday, March 13, the D.C. Council’s Committee on Education is set to vote on whether to move the “Student Fair Access to School Act forward. D.C. students, parents, and teachers have come out in support of this bill, because they see firsthand how suspensions negatively impact students’ lives—increasing the likelihood the student will drop out of school and wind up unemployed or in jail.

What the Bill Does:

  • Protects students of color who face discriminatory policies and are suspended or disciplined more often than their white counterparts, often for the same behavior. (Black students are suspended at eight times the rate of their white peers.)
  • Protects students from harmful, ineffective punishments that do not address the disability, poverty, or trauma that may hinder their performance in school.
  • Protects children with disabilities who are suspended more often for behavior directly caused by their disability.
  • Empowers educators to keep their classrooms safe and remove violent students that pose a real danger to others.

CALL or EMAIL members of the Education Committee TODAY to tell them you support this important legislation!

Suggested call or email script: My name is [NAME]. As a D.C. resident, I’m asking the Councilmember to support the “Student Fair Access to School Act” (Bill 22-594) because it reinforces good policies that will keep children in school, while protecting our black, brown and special education students from harmful, ineffective disciplinary practices that violate students’ civil rights and prevent them from accessing the education to which all children are entitled. Students who are excluded from the classroom are more likely to drop out and wind up unemployed or in jail. This is why D.C. students, parents, and teachers support this bill.  I hope the Councilmember will vote YES on Bill 22-594 at markup and give all D.C. students access to the free, fair, and excellent education they deserve.

What do I do after I call and email? Attend the markup for the bill on Tuesday, March 13 at 3pm at the Wilson Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Room 120.