Melanie: Protecting a Child through Legal Guardianship
I was just five years old when I entered the foster care system with my older brother by my side. In 2007, I was adopted by a family in Spokane, but my brother was sent to an all-boys group home designed to ‘straighten out’ wayward youth. It stripped away his childhood and he was propelled into the vicious cycle of juvenile detention centers until he turned 18 years old.
A mother fights for justice in wake of racist attacks
A Black 8th grader in Vancouver was violently attacked at school by a student who had earlier harassed him with racial slurs. Although administrators had been warned the attack was coming they did nothing to protect him. Instead, the school suspended and then expelled him. After a years-long fight, NJP gathered the evidence to win a settlement that cleared his record and included money and staff training.
Advocacy Update: Student Discipline Rules Changed Statewide
Earlier this year, the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) issued Emergency Rules regarding student discipline without affording input from family advocates, students or parents. The changes in discipline regulations included: Removing the requirement that schools consider alternative forms of discipline thatJayleen support students in meeting behavioral expectation BEFORE excluding them from classrooms An […]
Nicole Fights for Son’s Educational Rights
"For nearly all of us, the COVID-19 pandemic caused immeasurable disruption in our employment, education, and daily lives. For my son Owen, the turmoil in education continued long after the restrictions were lifted."