All students deserve safe and welcoming schools that do not use harmful discipline and school police to punish young people.
To achieve this, schools must be able to invest in the people and programs that build strong campus climates and foster the relationships that keep everyone safe.
Learn more about IDRA’s work to build safe and welcoming schools for all students below.
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Ending the School-to-Prison and School-to-Deportation Pipelines
IDRA works to make sure schools do not push students out of the classroom through school policing and exclusionary discipline, like suspensions, alternative school placements, expulsions and corporal punishment. These approaches do not work. They limit student success, are costly and disproportionately harm Black students, Latino students, students with disabilities and LGBTQ students. Instead of pushing young people out, schools must invest in strategies to pull them in.
Using Effective Strategies to Create Safe and Welcoming Schools for All Students
Safe and welcoming schools are community-oriented, with families, school staff and students taking a leadership role in shaping educational policy and practice. They are well-staffed with trained counselors, social workers, nurses and other critical personnel.
IDRA trains and supports families, teachers, students and district leaders, focusing on research-based strategies and programs like restorative practices, culturally sustaining pedagogy and ethnic studies courses.
Learn more about IDRA’s policy recommendations for Texas.
Resources
Changing Policy
Texas Should Eliminate Harmful Hardening and Policing Mandates and Invest in Safe and Supportive Schools – IDRA Testimony on HB 2, submitted by Paige Duggins-Clay, J.D., to the Texas House Select Committee on Educational Enrichment and Opportunity, November 10, 2023
Support the Protecting our Students in Schools Act – Why the Federal Government Must Act Now to End Corporal Punishment – October 27, 2023
Texas Must Prioritize Evidence-Based Practices to Create Safe and Supportive Schools – IDRA Testimony On Senate Bill 11, submitted by Paige Duggins-Clay, J.D., to the Senate Education Committee, May 11, 2023
Joint Testimony Against SB 9, submitted by IDRA, Texas Center for Justice and Equity, and Texas Appleseed to the Texas House Education Committee, May 9, 2023
Texas’ Crown Act Opens Doors for a Better Texas – IDRA Testimony for House Bill 567, submitted by Alisha Tuff to the Texas Senate State Affairs Committee, May 8, 2023
Texas Must Prioritize Evidence-Based Practices to Create Safe and Supportive Schools – IDRA Testimony On Senate Bill 11, submitted by Paige Duggins-Clay, J.D., to the House Public Education Committee, April 25, 2023 – See video
Texas Must Prohibit and Prevent Identity-based Bullying in Schools – IDRA Testimony for HB 4625, submitted by Paige Duggins-Clay, J.D., to the Texas House Committee on Youth Health and Safety, April 17, 2023
Understanding Discipline Policies and Practices is Key to Strengthening School Safety and Student Success – IDRA Testimony for HB 4449, submitted by Alisha Tuff to the Texas House Committee on Youth Health and Safety, April 17, 2023 – See video
Texas Must Prohibit and Prevent Identity-based Bullying in Schools – IDRA Testimony for HB 4625, submitted by Paige Duggins-Clay, J.D., to the Texas House Committee on Youth Health and Safety, April 17, 2023
Joint Testimony in Opposition to Senate Bill 245 – Comments in Opposition to Senate Bill 245, submitted to the Texas Senate Education Committee, April 12, 2023, by IDRA, Texas Appleseed, Texas Center for Justice and Equity – See video
HB 3917 Provides Positive Framework for Students, Families and Schools to Address Chronic Absenteeism – Comments in Support of House Bill 3917, submitted to the Texas House Select Committee on Youth Health and Safety, April 10, 2023, by IDRA, Texas Appleseed, Texas Center for Justice and Equity, ACLU Texas, and National Association of Social Workers Texas
Reject Harmful Responses to Chronic Absenteeism, Such as Fines and Criminalization – Comments in Opposition to House Bill 3931 and House Bill 2725, submitted to the Texas House Select Committee on Youth Health and Safety, April 10, 2023, by IDRA, Texas Appleseed, Texas Center for Justice and Equity, ACLU Texas, and National Association of Social Workers Texas – See video
School Takeovers and Punishing Truancy Do Not Make Our Schools More Safe – IDRA Testimony Against Senate Bill 11, submitted by Paige Duggins-Clay, J.D., to the Senate Education Committee, April 5, 2023
Hitting Hurts – It is Time to End Corporal Punishment in Texas Schools – IDRA Testimony for House Bill 772, submitted by Morgan Craven, J.D., to the Texas House Committee on Youth Health and Safety, April 3, 2023
Transparency of School Discipline Data and Policies Benefits Students and Families – IDRA Testimony for House Bill 2126, submitted by Alisha Tuff to the Texas House Youth Health and Safety Committee, April 3, 2023
Bill Filed: Texas Must Prohibit and Prevent Racial Bullying in Schools – Texas Senate Hispanic Caucus, Texas Legislative Black Caucus and IDRA Call on the Legislature to Protect Students from Identity-based Bullying and Harassment, March 10, 2023
Texas Should Prioritize Supporting Students and Educators, Not Expanding School Police and Guardians – IDRA Testimony Against House Bill 13, submitted by Paige Duggins-Clay, J.D., to the Texas House Select Committee on Youth Health and Safety, March 27, 2023
HB 3 Offers an Illusion of Safety but Fails to Invest in Real Solutions for Safe and Supportive Schools – IDRA Testimony Against House Bill 3, submitted by Paige Duggins-Clay, J.D., to the Texas House Select Committee on Youth Health and Safety, March 27, 2023
Texas’ CROWN Act Gives Every Texan a Fair Chance to Succeed Without Identity-Based Hair Discrimination – IDRA Testimony for House Bill 567, submitted by Alisha Tuff to the Texas House Committee of State Affairs, March 22, 2023
Children Need Education and Support, Not Zero Tolerance Discipline – IDRA Testimony against SB 9, submitted by Paige Duggins-Clay, J.D. to the Texas Senate Education Committee, March 22, 2023
Texas Should Prioritize Supporting Students and Educators, Not Expanding School Police and Guardians – IDRA Testimony Against House Bill 13, submitted by Paige Duggins-Clay, J.D., to the Texas House Select Committee on Youth Health and Safety, March 27, 2023
Testimony: Eliminate the Use of Harmful Restraints in Schools – IDRA Testimony for Senate Bill 133, submitted by Paige Duggins-Clay, J.D., to the Texas Senate Committee on Education, March 8, 2023 See video
Testimony: Eliminate Bias and Discrimination Against Black Students – IDRA Public Comment for HB 392, Presented by Dr. Altheria Caldera to the Texas House State Affairs Committee, April 29, 2021
Testimony: HB 3485 Makes Discipline Data More Accessible to Parents and Families – IDRA Testimony for House Bill 3485, Presented by Chloe Latham Sikes, Ph.D., to the House Public Education Committee, April 13, 2021
Testimony: Texas Must End Juvenile Curfew Ordinances to Help Break the School-to-prison Pipeline – IDRA Testimony for HB 561, Submitted by Araceli García to the House Juvenile Justice and Family Issues Committee, April 12, 2021
Testimony: HB 822 Compromises Equitable Education Opportunities in the Name of School Safety, IDRA Testimony against HB 822, submitted by Chloe Latham Sikes, Ph.D., to the House Juvenile Justice & Family Issues Committee on March 29, 2021
Protecting Children’s Health and Well-Being – IDRA & Partners Urge U.S. Congress to End Criminalization of Students in School, December 2, 2020
IDRA Endorses House Bill to End Corporal Punishment in Schools – Protecting Our Students in Schools Act of 2020, November 2020
IDRA School Policing letter to school district leaders, June 15, 2020
Article: An Overview of School Policing in the South, February 2020
Joint Testimony by the Educational Justice Coalition: Response to Public Interim Charge 1(f) to the Texas House Public Education Committee, September 30, 2020
Testimony: Implementation Rules for Texas school safety legislation
Testimony: Use Effective Discipline, Not Zero Tolerance
Testimony: African American Studies Course Will Have a Significant and Positive Impact on Students Across Texas, November 13, 2019
Acting on Research and Data
Identity-based Bullying in Texas Schools – Policy Recommendations – IDRA Issue Brief, by Paige Duggins-Clay, J.D., & Makiah Lyons, April 2023
Hitting Hurts – The Case for Ending Corporal Punishment in Texas – IDRA Issue Brief, by Morgan Craven, J.D., April 2023
U.S. States Where Corporal Punishment is Allowed – IDRA Map
Corporal Punishment in Texas Public School Districts – IDRA Map
What Safe Schools Should Look Like for Every Student – A Guide to Building Safe and Welcoming Schools and Rejecting Policies that Hurt Students, IDRA Issue Brief, by Morgan Craven, J.D., June 16, 2022
Ending Corporal Punishment in Schools
Eradicating the School-to-Prison Pipeline through a Comprehensive Approach to School Equity, by Morgan Craven, Paula Johnson & Terrence Wilson, Arkansas Law Review
Ethnic Studies – IDRA Services: African American Studies; Mexican American Studies; and IDRA Equity Connection – An Online Community of Practice
E-book: School Discipline Policy and Practice Resources
Study: Zero Tolerance Discipline Contributes to Higher Attrition Rates
Engaging Communities
ACLU-Texas sent 51 letters co-signed by IDRA and others to the superintendents of the school districts still in potential violation of the CROWN Act. By the next day one school district had already committed to updating their dress code for the next school year, July 25, 2024
Joint Letter to Pasco County Superintendent of Schools, Re: Data-Sharing Agreement and School Resource Officer Memorandum of Understanding Between the Pasco County School Board and Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, May 4, 2021
School Policing Hub with resources for advocates and school leaders
Joint Letter to Public Education Committee opposing House Bill 759, March 16, 2021
Coalition letter re mental health supports and threat assessments, May 2020
National Coalition: Principles for School Safety, Privacy, and Equity
Coalition letter to Austin ISD to divest from school policing
TLEEC police brutality statement
IDRA EAC-South Assists Virginia Commission on African American History Education in the Commonwealth
TLEEC Letter Supporting African American Studies Courses
Communicating Effectively
Why Some San Antonio Students Want an End to School Policing, Texas Public Radio
Austin Groups Call for Divestment from School Police
