School suspensions cost communities and unfairly affect minorities, experts say

Urban Peace Movement's youth member Joel Reyes facilitates a chess lesson for DetermiNation Black Men's Group. Photo by Prince White.

A recent study suggests that not only do suspensions take a toll on students, they place a financial burden on their communities. In March, the California Dropout Research Project at UC Santa Barbara and the Center for Civil Rights Remedies at UC Los Angeles released a study revealing that school suspensions could cost communities across the state a total of $2.7 billion per graduating class.

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At Castlemont, new school year brings changes, challenges

Chinyere Tutashinda passes out visitor passes and peacekeeping positions at Castlemont High School in East Oakland.

As Norman Ospina, the school attendance clerk and a translator at Castlemont High School in East Oakland, crossed the courtyard on a crisp overcast fall morning, he spotted a young man he believed had been involved in a campus brawl on September 21. Ospina, whose students call him “Mr. O,” placed his index finger over…

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Encampment continues at Lakeview as protesters demand district reopen closed schools

On Tuesday a second “stay away” order was issued by the Oakland Unified School District to protesters currently occupying the Lakeview Elementary School property but a small group of people continued to camp on the school grounds overnight as well as hold classes and community speak outs there during the day.

“We reserve the right to remove protesters from the premises,” said OUSD spokesperson Troy Flint.

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School board opener brings harsh budget news

Nikita Mitchell

Despite many heartfelt pleas to keep arts programs and continue running early childhood development centers, Superintendent Tony Smith told the audience at Wednesday night’s school board meeting that there just isn’t enough money for all the programs people care about. “If we can’t pay for it,” he said, “we can’t have it.”

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