On April 9, 2014, the Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention convened in Washington, DC, to discuss the U.S. Departments of Justice and Education's Supportive School Discipline Initiative and other related efforts to reduce punitive and discriminatory school discipline practices and keep children in school and out of the justice system. Associate Attorney General Tony West, Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs Karol V. Mason, and OJJDP Administrator Robert L. Listenbee offered opening remarks.
The meeting included presentations by a panel of experts that included Catherine Lhamon, Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education; Marlyn Tillman, Cofounder, Gwinnett Parent Coalition to Dismantle the School to Prison Pipeline; Russell Skiba, Director, Discipline Disparities Research to Practice Collaborative; James Bell, Founder and Executive Director, W. Haywood Burns Institute; and Chandlee Johnson Kuhn, Chief Judge, Family Court, Delaware.
Following are a few highlights of topics covered in the panel presentations:
Referring to the information contained in the Civil Rights Data Collection from the 2011–12 school year, Associate Attorney General West said: “We understand the need to address these disparities now, and we are working to ensure that our efforts to improve school climate and school discipline policy and practice are incorporated into pertinent grant programs and policy initiatives.”
Meetings of the council are open to the public. Visit the Web site to register for the next meeting, learn more about the council, and read minutes from past meetings.