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Dignity in Schools Campaign NY

@dsc_ny

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The New York Chapter of the Dignity in Schools Campaign (DSC-NY) is a citywide coalition of students, parents, advocates, and educators.

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The Resistance Revival Chorus closed out two days of learning and organizing on a joyful note, bringing us together in song!

Crystal Clarity at work during “Who Pays for It? Revenue, Taxes & Winning the Fight for Investment,” turning our conversation about funding a birth-to-graduation system into a visual story. Throughout the conference, Crystal and Annabelle Heckler helped us see our ideas take shape, giving us another way to reflect on what we’re building together.

In a conversation moderated by AQE’s Zakiyah Shaakir-Ansari, Emily Eisner of the Fiscal Policy Institute, Gray Hawranek-Burce of the Dignity in Schools Campaign, special education and District 75 advocate and AQE parent Paullette Ha-Healey, Pete Nabozny of The Children’s Agenda, and Brahvan Ranga of Invest in Our NY explored how New York can raise the revenue our schools and child care programs need, and how we organize to win it.

Team AQE with Erica Phillips, Deputy Chancellor of the Division of Early Childhood Education. We’re grateful the Deputy Chancellor joined us as we explored what it would take to connect child care, 3-K, Pre-K, and Head Start so a child’s next birthday doesn’t send their family searching for care all over again. That means coordinating funding and program hours around families’ lives, while simultaneously investing in educators’ pay across setting-types so expanding one program doesn’t come at another’s expense.

Pete Nabozny of The Children’s Agenda and Shoshana Hershkowitz of the Empire State Campaign for Child Care brought participants into a conversation about connecting early learning programs so families and educators have consistent support from children’s earliest years.

Families shouldn’t have to piece together a patchwork of programs to get the care and early learning their children need. We’re fighting for New York to fund a connected system from birth through graduation, with free, universal child care and permanent investments in the educators who make it all possible.

Wendy Lecker and Danielle Farrie of the Education Law Center helped connect the school funding landscape to our communities’ experiences and the fight for investments still needed that

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Starting us off, our young people ✊🏾   Jania Witherspoon, executive director of Circle Keepers, joined Ishna Ahmed from NYCLU and Blaise Tasnim from YA-YA Network to discuss the changes young people want in their schools and the systems shaping their lives.

Ravo Root and Salka Valerio of @citizenactionny led a conversation about how parents can turn their experiences into collective power and shape the decisions affecting their communities.

The conference’s opening plenary: From birth through graduation, as moderated by AQE’s Marina Marcou-O’Malley.
 Senator Jabari Brisport; Shoshana Hershkowitz, Empire State Campaign for Child Care; Abe Fernandez, National Center for Community Schools; and Salka Valerio, Citizen Action of New York, dove into how more connected public services can support children and families as they grow.

Clarence Okoh, TechTonic Justice, joined us to talk technology, privatization, and accountability, helping us examine together how communities can hold education technology accountable to students and families.

That same commitment to accountability guides our fight for Solutions Not Suspensions in New York State, where we’re organizing for schools that respond to young people with support and keep them connected to their learning.

Longtime member of the AQE family, Chevion Weaks-Lopez.

Shanita Bowen, ECE on the Move; and Dede Hill, Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy, discussed better compensation and equity for the educators supporting children’s earliest learning.

Campaign Manager of the Empire State Campaign for Child Care, Shoshana Hershkowitz, in a workshop with fellow advocates imagining a future where child care is free and accessible to every family, with public investment that supports the educators who make it possible.

Dr. Jamaal Bowman joined us for a keynote and Q&A, alongside the launch of his book UNpolishED.

Marian Bott, school finance expert and longtime AQE supporter, asks a question during Dr. Bowman’s Q&A.

IF WE CAN MANAGE TO FIND $1 TRILLION FOR WAR, WE CAN FIND IT FOR EDUCATION.

Founder and director of @P3Civics, and AQE's NYC Community Organizer, Kaiser.

Terrence Winston of the Coalition for Communit

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We know what our communities want, need and deserve. All that's missing is the political will, organizing tenacity, and sustained people power to make it so! Here are a few thoughts from across our membership as we prepare for our 2026 National Week of Action Against School Pushout!

#PublicEducation4PublicGood
#DSCWoA2026
#CommunityNotCops
#DSC20thAnniversay

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We’re just over a week away from AQE’s first Diapers to Diplomas Conference, and we’re getting excited to bring this room together. What would it look like to build a state where the things children and families need are treated as public goods and shared responsibilities, rather than something each family is left to piece together on its own?

THAT is the future we want to spend these two days thinking about and building toward together. Whether you come to this work through child care, public education, parent organizing, youth advocacy, or another part of this fight, there is a place for you in this conversation. If you’ve been thinking about coming, now is the time to grab your ticket and join us. We want you in the room!

bit.ly/AQEConference

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Join the @dignityinschools campaign for "Assembly Required", a virtual film festival for the upcoming National Week of Action Against School Pushout. From October 17 to 25th explore the many ways people resist repression, challenge systems of harm, and build communities rooted in dignity, justice, and possibility.

📌 Save this post as a reminder! The full festival schedule drops September 17th and Registration opens September 22nd.

Click the link in our bio or go to www.dignityinschools.org to learn more.

#DSCWoA2026

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“The original practitioners of black august did not have the luxury of believing struggle was seasonal. Neither do we.” - @dignityinschoolsca

As August comes to a close, we are reflecting on the teachings of Black August through the lens of our anchored network the Dignity in Schools Campaign.

Black August honors the struggles of black freedom fighters and commemorates black resistance against systemic opression - including the united states prison system. This August, @dsc_ny won reductions to the public school police force in New York City for the first time in years. Follow along with us this fall as we uplift @dignityinschools annual National Week of Action Against School Pushout.

Every month, we can apply the teachings of Black August to our own work in the movement to end the School-to-Prison Pipeline.

#DSCWoA2026 #educationjustice

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🔁 @dsc_ny Dignity in Schools Campaign of New York’s (DSC-NY) students, parents, and educators are celebrating several major victories for the upcoming school year. 🎉

For the first time in years, DSC-NY won reductions to the school police force, whose presence harms student well-being and creates barriers to learning - particularly for students of color, LGBTQ+ students, and students with disabilities. DSC-NY protected key safety programs that were in danger of being cut, securing $6 million for restorative justice, $5 million for mental health support, and $4 million for immigrant family communications and outreach.

These critical wins demonstrate that we don’t have to continue to invest in systems that criminalize young people and restrict their rights. We must continue to invest in the programs and communities building the foundation for safe schools.

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We're having a Safety in NYC Public Schools Meeting this week, Thursday Aug 6th and we'd love to see you there!
Parents have the power to shape the future of our schools. Together, we'll discuss how families can organize for safe, welcoming public schools and why political education for parents is essential in creating learning environments that support every student without POL/ICE or metal detectors.

Thursday, August 6, 2026 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM New Settlement Community Room 1514 Townsend Avenue

Reserve your spot: bit.ly/parentpowernyc

Bring your questions, your ideas, and your voice. Together, we can strengthen our schools and build a brighter future for our children.

¡Esta semana —el jueves 6 de agosto— celebraremos una Reunión sobre la Seguridad en las Escuelas Públicas de NYC, ¡y nos encantaría contar con su presencia!

Las familias tienen el poder de transformar el futuro de nuestras escuelas. Juntos, conversaremos sobre cómo las familias pueden organizarse para promover escuelas públicas seguras y acogedoras, y por qué la educación política para madres, padres y tutores es fundamental para crear entornos de aprendizaje que apoyen a todos los estudiantes sin la presencia de POL/ICE ni detectores de metales.

Jueves, 6 de agosto de 2026 5:00 p. m. – 8:00 p. m. Salón Comunitario de New Settlement 1514 Townsend Avenue

Reserve su lugar: bit.ly/parentpowernyc

Traiga sus preguntas, sus ideas y su voz. Juntos podemos fortalecer nuestras escuelas y construir un futuro mejor para nuestros niños y niñas.
¡Esperamos verlo allí!

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14 million students attend schools with police, but no counselor, nurse, psychologist, or social worker…

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Join the Dignity in Schools Campaign - New York ( @dsc_ny ) for "Safety in NYC Schools", a Parent Power event. Political education for public school parents is essential for advancing safe and caring schools without POL/ICE.

Tap the link in our bio to register 🌻

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Our schools need real investment in real people, not AI shortcuts that push students further out.

States, districts, and schools have many legally mandated obligations to students and their families to prevent their rights from being violated. Now tech companies are pushing their services as a way to meet those requirements and save cash-strapped schools money. But a chatbot isn't a counselor. A camera isn't a caring adult. These quick-fixes may do more harm than good.

Read the full brief from the @dignityinschools campaign at the link in our bio 🌟

#ai #charterschools #onlinelearning #educationjustice

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HAPPY JUNETEENTH ✊🏾
It’s our 1 year anniversary! Check out what we’ve been up to this past year! Want to support? Volunteer with us. Fill out the form in our bio

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