Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Dismantling the School to Prison Pipeline
Labor Leaders Reintroduce Bill to Expand Training Opportunities for Disconnected Youth
09.15.23 WASHINGTON - Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), Higher Education and Workforce Development Subcommittee Ranking Member Federica Wilson (FL-24), Representative Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04), and Education and the Workforce Committee Vice Ranking Member Jahana Hayes (CT-05) reintroduced the Opening Doors for Youth Act of 2023 (ODYA)—legislation to address the challenges facing youth who become disconnected from both school and work. Researchers est… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Statement on Secretary DeVos Rescinding Guidance that Protect Students’ Civil Rights
12.21.18 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Department of Education announced that it is rescinding the 2014 ED-DOJ Discipline Guidance. "The Department's decision to rescind the 2014 discipline guidance will undermine access to a quality education for students of color and students with disabilities. The guidance was issued to help schools address the troubling and undeniable evidence that Black students, boys, and students with disabilities receiv… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Statement on the School Safety Commission Report
12.18.18 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the release of the Trump administration's school safety commission report. "The Federal School Safety Commission Report is not a serious or good-faith effort to make schools safer for students and educators. The report's recommendations ignore both the research consensus and the demands of students and parents for tougher gun laws. Instead, the report promotes a longstanding, conservative agenda to undermine … Continue Reading
Scott Statement on the Passage of Bipartisan Juvenile Justice Bill
12.13.18 WASHINGTON - Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), the top Democrat on the Committee on Education and the Workforce, issued the following statement after the passage of the Juvenile Justice Reform Act of 2018 (H.R.6964), which reauthorizes and reforms the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) to help state and local leaders better serve juvenile offenders and at-risk youth. "Today is the culmination of a multi-year, bipartisan effort to improve our juvenile justice system. Rather t… Continue Reading
Top Democrats Unveil Bill to Protect Students from Seclusion and Restraint Practices
11.14.18 WASHINGTON - Today, Congressman Don Beyer (VA-08), Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT), Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03), the top Democrat on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, and Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA), the top Democrat on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, introduced the Keeping All Students Safe Act to protect students from the dangers of seclusion and restraint at school. The legislation would make it illegal for any school receiving ta… Continue Reading
Rep. McEachin, Ranking Member Scott Hosted Briefing on Protecting Students’ Civil Rights
04.11.18 WASHINGTON – Congressmen A. Donald McEachin (VA-04) and Bobby Scott (VA-03), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, hosted a briefing on Protecting Students’ Civil Rights to amplify the importance of preserving critical civil rights protections for students in light of recent hostile scrutiny from the Trump Administration and Congressional Republicans. “Discriminatory discipline practices in our nation’s schools hurt our children, particula… Continue Reading
Bonamici Statement on New Report Establishing That School Discipline Practices Disproportionately Effect Students of Color
04.06.18 WASHINGTON, DC [04/06/18] - Today Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici, a leader on the House Education Committee, issued the following statement in response to a new report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) that confirms that students of color are disproportionately harmed by school discipline policies. "Fifty years after the death of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the Government Accountability Office's alarming report on widespread bias in school discipline shows that we still have more wo… Continue Reading
Scott Urges DeVos to Uphold and Protect Students’ Civil Rights
03.19.18 WASHINGTON - Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), Ranking Member of the Committee on Education and Workforce, sent a letter to Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos requesting the Department of Education (ED) maintain a 2014 School Discipline Guidance Package. The guidance, developed jointly with the Department of Education and the Department of Justice (DOJ), was issued to remind schools of their legal obligations to administer school discipline without discriminating on the base of race, color, or na… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on Meeting with Secretary DeVos to Discuss Discipline Disparities
01.11.18 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after a meeting with Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos to discuss priority issues for House Democrats. Today's meeting was the first meeting between the Ranking Member and the Secretary. "My discussion with Secretary DeVos today reaffirmed for me that we share a common goal - to ensure all students are supported to achieve their full potential. Secretary DeVos and I will not always agree on the best ways to achie… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on Closed-Door Meeting at Ed to Discuss Undermining Civil Rights Protections for Students
11.17.17 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after a private meeting was held at the Department of Education discussing the "harmful effects" of school discipline guidance from teachers who experienced violence in the classroom. Enacted under the Obama administration, the guidance encourages schools, districts, and states to reassess their policies for and use of suspensions and expulsions that are disproportionately used on students of color and students with d… Continue Reading
Scott, Foxx Statement on Senate Passage of Juvenile Justice Bill
08.02.17 WASHINGTON - Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA), ranking member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, and Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), chairwoman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, released the following joint statement praising the passage of juvenile justice reforms by the United States Senate. "More than one million at-risk and vulnerable children are counting on Congress to make commonsense reforms to federal juvenile justice policy that will have a real impact on co… Continue Reading
McEachin, Kaine, Beyer, Warner & 55+ Members Urge Secretary DeVos to Reduce Discipline in Schools
07.26.17 WASHINGTON - TODAY, more than 60 Members of Congress sent a bicameral letter to Secretary DeVos urging her to take steps toward reducing excessive discipline in schools. "This concern, the inappropriate punishment of schoolchildren and steps to eliminate it, is critical and that is why I felt it important to write this letter. I am so pleased to have Senator Kaine, with his experience and wisdom, collaborate with me, and to be joined by my Virginia colleague Don Beyer," said Congressman Donald … Continue Reading
House Passes Bill to Enhance Opportunity for Vulnerable Youth, Improve Juvenile Justice
05.23.17 WASHINGTON - Today, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 1809, the Juvenile Justice Reform Act of 2017 by voice vote. Introduced by Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-VA) and Rep. Jason Lewis (R-MN) the bipartisan legislation reauthorizes and reforms the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) to help state and local leaders better serve juvenile offenders and at-risk youth. "Today's bipartisan work in the House brings us one step closer to dismantling the school-to-prison pipeli… Continue Reading
Civil Rights, Education, and Research Groups: OMB Must Maintain Critical Data Collection on Preschool Suspension
05.11.17 WASHINGTON - Today, 149 national, state and local groups urged the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to maintain the question about preschool/childcare suspension and expulsion in the 2017 National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH). This data fills a crucial gap in the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) by including data from parents whose children are not in public preschools and contributes to public understanding of the scope, frequency, and racially disproportionate use of … Continue Reading
Committee Approves Bill to Enhance Opportunity for Vulnerable Youth, Improve Juvenile Justice
04.04.17 WASHINGTON, DC - The House Committee on Education and the Workforce today approved H.R. 1809, the Juvenile Justice Reform Act of 2017. Introduced by Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-VA) and Rep. Jason Lewis (R-MN) the legislation reauthorizes and reforms the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) to help state and local leaders better serve at-risk youth and juvenile offenders. "Today's bipartisan Committee work brings us one step closer to dismantling the school-to-prison pipelin… Continue Reading
Members Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Enhance Opportunity for Vulnerable Children
03.30.17 WASHINGTON, DC - Republican and Democratic members of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce today introduced the Juvenile Justice Reform Act of 2017 (H.R. 1809). Sponsored by Rep. Jason Lewis (R-MN) and Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-VA), the bipartisan legislation reauthorizes and reforms the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) to help state and local leaders better serve at-risk youth and juvenile offenders. Upon introduction, members issued the following statem… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on House Passage of Bipartisan Bill to Improve & Strengthen Juvenile Justice System
09.22.16 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the House passed (382-29) H.R. 5963, Supporting Youth Opportunity and Preventing Delinquency Act of 2016, bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA): "I commend my colleagues for the bipartisan work done in support of our nation's youth. The bipartisan bill we passed today includes necessary improvements to federal policy firmly grounded in facts, proving … Continue Reading
Scott Introduces Bill to Strengthen Opportunity for At-Risk Youth
09.22.16 WASHINGTON - TODAY, Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) introduced H.R. 6117, the Opening Doors for Youth Act of 2016-legislation to address the challenges faced by youth, ages 16-24, who are disconnected from both school and work. At-risk young people are commonly referred to as "opportunity youth" because of the tremendous potential they possess. "It is our responsibility to ensure that all of nation's young people have the opportunity to thrive-not just survive," said Ranking Member Scott. "O… Continue Reading
Committee Advances Bill to Support Youth Opportunity, Improve Juvenile Justice System
09.14.16 WASHINGTON -The House Committee on Education and the Workforce today approved H.R. 5963, the Supporting Youth Opportunity and Preventing Delinquency Act. Introduced by Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-VA) and Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-FL), the legislation reauthorizes and reforms the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) to help state and local leaders better serve at-risk youth and juvenile offenders. The bill passed unanimously by voice vote. "Today we worked across the aisle to p… Continue Reading
Members Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Improve & Strengthen Juvenile Justice System
09.09.16 WASHINGTON - Democrat and Republican members of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce today introduced the H.R. 5963 Supporting Youth Opportunity and Preventing Delinquency Act. Sponsored by Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-FL) and Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-VA), the legislation reauthorizes and reforms the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act to help state and local leaders better serve at-risk youth and juvenile offenders. "Many children are born into circumstances out of the… Continue Reading