School Discipline Advocacy Services (SDAS), the Temple Law student group formerly known as Student for Students, will be honored as a public education champion by the Education Law Center on December 5, 2012.
SDAS addresses the school-to-prison pipeline crisis by representing students and parents at school disciplinary hearings. In addition to direct representation and advice, they educate parents and students about their rights at community workshops, and network with other law schools to develop similar programs in other regions. Their network of student advocates helps to minimize the disproportionately punitive effects of “zero-tolerance” discipline policies and promote alternative resolutions that keep students in school.
Professor Lee Carpenter, who advises SDAS, found the recognition to be well deserved, remarking: “I’m thrilled that SDAS is being recognized for their work in establishing a new resource for our city’s most at-risk youth. Temple Law students have put endless hours into building this program from the ground up, and I have been incredibly impressed with their dedication to the task – particularly in light of their numerous other obligations. The students of SDAS have a combination of commitment to justice and real-world problem-solving skills that represents the very best of our law school.”