On October 7, POWER-PAC parents rallied at Wells High School as part of the National Week of Action on School Push-Out and won a commitment from Alderman Walter Burnett to co-sponsor a City Council resolution calling on the Chicago Public Schools to reduce suspensions and expulsions by 40%. Wells High is one of three Chicago schools where POWER-PAC parents run Peace Centers, a restorative justice program used to avoid school suspension and expulsion.
The rally was part of a coordinated national push by the Dignity in Schools Campaign, which POWER-PAC is a member of, to end school policies at the national, state and local level that lead to school drop-out. Thousands of parents, youth, and educators took action against punitive school discipline practices in 28 different cities across the country. POWER-PAC’s rally was featured on the evening news on Univision (Spanish TV), in Catalyst-Chicago and Austin Talks.