JustChildren Local & Statewide Advocacy - Legal Aid Justice Center

JustChildren’s attorneys and organizers also seek local and statewide reforms to improve the systems that our children depend on. Through coalition building, policy advocacy, and litigation, we make lasting improvements for all children in Virginia.

Our most recent accomplishments include:
• Won unanimous passage of legislation rolling back zero tolerance laws and reducing criminalization of minor school-based misconduct. Secured gubernatorial budget amendment adding $617,000 for statewide training and competitive grants to high suspending schools in the use of Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports.

• Increased regulatory protection against the use of restraint, seclusion, and other harmful techniques against students with disabilities served by private schools.

• Successfully advocated for changes to Virginia’s application for No Child Left Behind waivers, arguing that Virginia’s initial application would lock in existing achievement gaps among at-risk populations for years to come.

Publications

Prevention v. Punishment: Threat Assessment, School Suspensions, & Racial Disparities (2013) The University of Virginia’s Curry School of Education and the Legal Aid Justice Center partnered on a report documenting the scope of racial disparities in school suspension in Virginia. The Report finds that, in Virginia schools, black male students are at least twice as likely to be suspended as white male students.

Educate Every Child: Promoting Positive Solutions to School Discipline in Virginia (2011)
This Policy Brief discusses the negative impact of school exclusion in Virginia and makes recommendations for making our schools safer, stronger, and more conducive to learning for all students.
Unlocking the Truth: Real Stories About the Trial and Incarceration of Youth as Adults in Virginia (2010)
Featuring a Foreword by R. Dwayne Betts, this Report tells the untold and often overlooked stories of the youth who have been tried as adults and how it impacts them, their families, and their communities.
Don’t Throw Away the Key: Reevaluating Adult Time for Youth Crime in Virginia (2009)
This Report meticulously examines the policy and practice of trying youth as adults, debunks five myths about the Commonwealth’s transfer system, and ultimately calls for reform.

Resources

Virginia’s Legislative Information System
Research the Virginia Code, look up the status of past and pending bills, and more. The Virginia LIS has searchable databases of bills, laws, and regulations.
Civil Rights Data Collection
Check out how Virginia’s schools are doing on dozens of measures of educational access and equity using the U.S. Department of Education’s civil rights data collection, which includes samples from most of the nation’s public schools.
Statistics and Reports from the Virginia Department of Education
Using the menu on the lefthand side of this page, you can access school, division, and state-level data about the school-age population, student achievement, and funding of Virginia’s public schools.
Daily News Updates from the Virginia School Boards Association
The Virginia Daily Education News is a daily update (Monday through Friday) of education news throughout Virginia.
Data Resource Guides from the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice
Download the most recent data and statistics about youth served by Virginia DJJ in communities, detention homes, and correctional facilities.