Oakland schools enter agreement to reduce suspensions of black students

http://www.insidebayarea.com/oakland-tribune/ci_21655379/oakland-schools-enter-agreement-reduce-suspensions-black-students

The Oakland school district has entered into a binding agreement with the federal Office for Civil Rights to reduce the suspensions of its African-American students. The five-year agreement involves a new monitoring system to track and report suspensions and a commitment to seek alternatives to sending students home from school when they're misbehaving.

Parents, community organizers, district staff members and other leaders spoke passionately at Thursday night's board meeting about the need to pass -- and to fully realize -- the plan, and to involve students, families and teachers in the push for change.