Campaign Goal:

The High HOPES (Healing Over the Punishment of Expulsions and Suspensions) Campaign is calling on Chicago Public Schools to reduce suspensions and expulsions by 40% through the implementation of Restorative Justice programs and other proven strategies as called for in CPS's own Student Code of Conduct.

The Problem

In the 2009-2010 school year, there were more than 50,000 students suspended and 700 students expelled from Chicago Public Schools.1 This is roughly 1 suspension for every 8 CPS students. Many of these suspensions were for low-level, non-violent behaviors. African-American male students, who represent only 25% of CPS students, represented over 45% of suspensions and more than 60% of expulsions.¹ This disparity mirrors the over representation of minorities in prisons and jails.

The High HOPES Campaign is calling on CPS to:
1. Commit to reduce suspensions and expulsions by 40% next school year
2. Accomplish this by consistently implementing Restorative Justice and other proven strategies particularly in schools with the highest numbers of suspensions and expulsions.
3. Partner with community and parent organizations to implement Restorative Justice and other intervention strategies.
4. Develop and provide accurate and timely performance measures of disciplinary actions to track the effectiveness of reaching this target goal.