WHO WE ARE
Justice in the Classroom is a student-powered organization that advocates for racial equity in public schools across Ventura County. Specifically, we center our organizing and advocacy work around our 6 holistic proposals: curriculum reform, diversity and inclusion, teacher equity training, more educators of color, student punishment reform, and releasing data reports on initiatives stated above. The work we lead in Ventura County is a combination of grassroots community building as well as strategic partnerships with local officials in Education to push for policy and institutional change.
We started in June with 14 members and since then have grown to 150+ students in Ventura County internally working in committees and have over 2,000 following on social media. More importantly, in just 3 months we have made substantial impact. We have passed our Racial Equity Board Resolution in all 5 districts in our County. We successfully pressured our county Office of Education to develop action around a county-wide ethnic studies course, re-evaluating curriculum requirements, American History, and in-depth conversations about racism and state-level legislation. Additionally, we have partnered local organizations to coalition build around our 6 proposals. See a full comprehensive list of what we accomplished in Summer 2020 here.
Our philosophy is about investing into a community to recognize the intersectionalities students experience to truly provide an equitable education for them. Because of this we believe in community engagement through peer education. On our social media we have series such as "History Outside the Classroom" that sheds light on untaught social issues (ex: redlining, environmental racism, etc.) and what they look like in our community. Our local advocacy work has already been featured in Vox News, Business Insider, Reporters for America, VC Star, and HollisterCo.
OUR 6 PROPOSALS
Justice in the Classroom demands education equity through our 6 proposals ranging from curriculum reform, diversity & inclusion programming, equity training, retaining more educators of color, student punishment reform, and releasing data and reports on racism/hate speech in schools. We know we cannot change a disparate system without seeing how each problem is interwoven with another. Our holistic approach ensures we are looking at racial injustices that happen on campuses extensively. Our strategy is working closely with teachers, district officials, and school board members to commit them to our proposals. However, we are also always organizing plans to find out what we can do now, as a grassroots student org, to bring justice in the classroom (bureaucratic systems move slowly). We know there is always work to be done.
Curriculum Change
Devise and implement curriculum changes that are more racially accurate, sensitive, and inclusive.
Release Public Reports
Review and release public reports on district efforts of current diversity and inclusion programming.
Diversity & Inclusion
Devise and implement mandatory Diversity and Inclusion programming across district schools.
Educators of Color
Release a detailed plan for recruiting, hiring, and retaining educators of color, as well as establish a leadership position dedicated to equity and social justice.
Equity Training
Plan and implement professional development for all staff and faculty on implicit bias, racial equity, proper responses to student racism, and inclusive curriculum.
Disciplinary Practices
Review and publish annual reports on the progress of racial equity in CVUSD disciplinary practices, including racial disparities in student searches, detentions, suspensions, expulsions, and schools’ involvement with legal authorities in student conduct issues.