Blog of Rights
Rachel
Garver
08/21/2009
Corporal Punishment in Schools

For Students of Color, It May Hurt to Go to School

By Rachel Garver, Racial Justice Program at 3:34pm

African-American students are referred to special education at a rate over two times the national average and over three times the rate at which white students are referred to special education programs. They comprise 36.9 percent of the special education population, but only 16.8 percent of the entire U.S. student population.

On August 10, 2009, the ACLU and Human Rights Watch (HRW) released Impairing Education, a report that reveals the disproportionate use of corporal punishment on students with disabilities in our public schools. Corporal punishment, or the use of physical force with the intent to punish, is legal in 20 states and includes, but is not limited to, paddling, hitting, pinching, slapping, forceful grabbing, throwing, spanking, and dragging. Although corporal punishment should not be used on any student, its effect on students with disabilities can be especially damaging.

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07/30/2009

Atlanta Public Schools Ends Relationship with Private Contractor, Community Education Partners, Under ACLU Pressure

By Rachel Garver, Racial Justice Program at 1:01pm

Today, the ACLU filed a motion to dismiss Community Education Partners (CEP) from a federal class action lawsuit challenging the inadequate education provided to the students attending the Atlanta Independent School System's (AISS) alternative school, Forrest Hill Academy. In 2008, the ACLU filed the lawsuit against both CEP and AISS in an effort to improve the conditions at Forrest Hill Academy, where students with alleged disciplinary problems were sent.

CEP, a for-profit company, ran Forrest Hill Academy since 2002, but under the pressure of the ACLU's lawsuit, AISS announced in May that it would not renew its contract with CEP.

Our public education system was envisioned to be just that: public. There are multiple private companies that seek to capitalize off educating and rearing our children, treating them as commodities rather than developing people. The nonrenewal of CEP's contract marks a victory for children in Atlanta — especially children of color — who were all at risk of being sent to CEP's alternative school. It will also hopefully thwart other school districts around the country from hiring private companies to run public schools.

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07/23/2009

Racial Profiling: “That's Just a Fact.”

By Rachel Garver, Racial Justice Program at 9:42pm

Racial profiling was in the news this week because Henry Louis Gates, Jr., a world-renowned Professor of African-American studies at Harvard University, was a victim. However, it is important to remember that this story is news because of the identity of the person profiled, not because of the rarity of the underlying police actions.

President Obama accurately reminded us of this during his press conference last night:

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07/08/2009

The Potency of Affirmative Action

By Rachel Garver, Racial Justice Program at 4:25pm

In an interview with the Associated Press on July 2, President Obama commented on affirmative action. He said, "I've always believed that affirmative action was less of an issue, or should be less than an issue, than it's been made out to be in news reports. It's not, it hasn't been as potent a force for racial progress as advocates would claim, and it hasn't been as bad on white students seeking admissions or seeking a job as its critics has been."

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