|
Here is a song about Love Our Children.
It was written by Peter Rawitsch and sung by SingTrece. |
Here are some of the members of the Love Our Children team after the NHC Board of Education voted 7 - 0 to end out-of-school suspensions for 4, 5, 6, and 7-year-olds, except for guns, drugs, or a violent assault on April 5, 2022.
Thank you Peter Rawitsch and the Love Our Children team for showing up month after month. This is a victory for our youngest learners.
Thank you Peter Rawitsch and the Love Our Children team for showing up month after month. This is a victory for our youngest learners.
Veronica McLaurin-Brown and members and supporters of Love Our Children were present on Tuesday, April 12, 2022 when the NHC Board of Education's Policy Committee approved the following language:
"No student under age eight or under grade three will be suspended out of school except in response to incidents involving violations of Policy Code 4325 (Drugs and Alcohol), Policy 4331 (Assaults and Threats), and Policy 4333 (Weapons, Bomb Threats, Terrorist Threats, and Clear Threats to Safety.)
The full Board will vote on including this language in Policy 4351 at the Tuesday, May 3rd Board of Education meeting.
Thank you, Veronica, for your leadership in ending out-of-school suspensions of 4, 5, 6, and 7-year-olds during the past 13 months.
"No student under age eight or under grade three will be suspended out of school except in response to incidents involving violations of Policy Code 4325 (Drugs and Alcohol), Policy 4331 (Assaults and Threats), and Policy 4333 (Weapons, Bomb Threats, Terrorist Threats, and Clear Threats to Safety.)
The full Board will vote on including this language in Policy 4351 at the Tuesday, May 3rd Board of Education meeting.
Thank you, Veronica, for your leadership in ending out-of-school suspensions of 4, 5, 6, and 7-year-olds during the past 13 months.
Love Our Children prevails: New Hanover school board unanimously votes to end suspensions for young students
Peter Rawitsch is one of the co-leaders of Love Our Children.
"We show up at every board meeting and ending suspensions was not on the agenda. So you can imagine our surprise when McManus made a motion when they were approving the evening's agenda to add ending suspensions. We thought that was a clue that he was ready to switch his vote. And it was a nail-biting evening to wait to see how that came out. We’re so grateful for the outcome,” said Rawitsch.
He said the group had spent 13 months campaigning for the policy.
“We started to build a team. And as that team grew, our voice grew stronger. And as more people showed up at the board meetings with us, we began to add more pressure on the board to take an action. They were kicking the can down the road. And, last night, they were very decisive in their decision,” said Rawitsch.
https://www.whqr.org/local/2022-04-06/love-our-children-prevails-new-hanover-school-board-unanimously-votes-to-end-suspensions-for-young-students?fbclid=IwAR0vGtSsyBNiFv8CgQMaHmm0QWk3el3v6ULlkG0fUC1q5OgtSZnm40ZoFsM
"We show up at every board meeting and ending suspensions was not on the agenda. So you can imagine our surprise when McManus made a motion when they were approving the evening's agenda to add ending suspensions. We thought that was a clue that he was ready to switch his vote. And it was a nail-biting evening to wait to see how that came out. We’re so grateful for the outcome,” said Rawitsch.
He said the group had spent 13 months campaigning for the policy.
“We started to build a team. And as that team grew, our voice grew stronger. And as more people showed up at the board meetings with us, we began to add more pressure on the board to take an action. They were kicking the can down the road. And, last night, they were very decisive in their decision,” said Rawitsch.
https://www.whqr.org/local/2022-04-06/love-our-children-prevails-new-hanover-school-board-unanimously-votes-to-end-suspensions-for-young-students?fbclid=IwAR0vGtSsyBNiFv8CgQMaHmm0QWk3el3v6ULlkG0fUC1q5OgtSZnm40ZoFsM
After year of pressure from community, school board ends suspensions for youngest students
"It is thrilling," said Peter Rawitsch, co-founder of Love Our Children. "When I spoke to the board tonight, I said we just need one more vote, and what a gift they gave us. We got four more, 7-0. That was beyond our wildest imagination."
"I really credit the team for showing up month after month after month speaking to the board," Rawitsch said. "We made that happen and saw our hard work pay off."
https://www.starnewsonline.com/story/news/2022/04/05/new-hanover-school-board-ends-suspensions-districts-youngest-learners/9479018002/?utm_source=starnewsonline-News%20Alert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=news_alerts&utm_term=news_alert&utm_content=NORTHCAROLINA-WILMINGTON-NLETTER01&fbclid=IwAR3Bs8tj0bJ7O6MNecf_VIGRGQzwwxo2sHGN8vlMDrMKeK-la-tMGls5vcE
"I really credit the team for showing up month after month after month speaking to the board," Rawitsch said. "We made that happen and saw our hard work pay off."
https://www.starnewsonline.com/story/news/2022/04/05/new-hanover-school-board-ends-suspensions-districts-youngest-learners/9479018002/?utm_source=starnewsonline-News%20Alert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=news_alerts&utm_term=news_alert&utm_content=NORTHCAROLINA-WILMINGTON-NLETTER01&fbclid=IwAR3Bs8tj0bJ7O6MNecf_VIGRGQzwwxo2sHGN8vlMDrMKeK-la-tMGls5vcE
NHCS will no longer suspend students under 8, except in extreme cases
Rawitsch said this is not the end of Love Our Children’s work. Members plan to continue speaking at board meetings as the policy language is finalized.
“We have described ourselves as an ant taking a tiny bite out of an elephant,” Rawitsch said. “When this new policy is implemented at the beginning of the next school year, we’ll identify and work on another policy issue that will improve the lives of our children and their families.”
https://portcitydaily.com/local-news/education/2022/04/06/nhcs-will-no-longer-suspend-students-under-8-except-in-extreme-cases/?fbclid=IwAR12_R4hfah8ggkTGWazZX7EE1lld6cMdeTZoFUoUXaIzDC-YibpL6bwV1s
“We have described ourselves as an ant taking a tiny bite out of an elephant,” Rawitsch said. “When this new policy is implemented at the beginning of the next school year, we’ll identify and work on another policy issue that will improve the lives of our children and their families.”
https://portcitydaily.com/local-news/education/2022/04/06/nhcs-will-no-longer-suspend-students-under-8-except-in-extreme-cases/?fbclid=IwAR12_R4hfah8ggkTGWazZX7EE1lld6cMdeTZoFUoUXaIzDC-YibpL6bwV1s
