● Our Mission
OUR MISSION
Students Deserve is a youth-led organization working towards making Black Lives Matter in schools. With over 30 chapters across the Los Angeles Unified School District, the second largest school district in the United States, Students Deserve has shaped policies for police-free schools, community schools, and investment in Black students.
We want schools to divest from criminalization and policing. We want schools to invest in us as Black, Muslim, undocumented, indigenous, and queer youth in poor and working class communities of color. We follow the lead of Black Lives Matter in demanding that our schools defund the police and defend Black life.
● Reimagining Schools
our vision
We have a vision for the schools and communities that Los Angeles Students Deserve, and we are working together all across the city to make this vision a reality. This vision was developed collaboratively by over 300 parents, teachers, and students and has been under continual revision as more students, parents and teachers get involved. Our hopes and dreams for our schools and our society continue to evolve.
We need to change the culture and practices of our schools so that they truly support every young person. We need to end racism, classism, sexism, homophobia, and transphobia. LAUSD students deserve schools that:
●︎ Educate and care for the whole child
● Ensure equity and access
● Provide full funding for services and resources
● Focus on student needs, not only on test scores
● Prioritize the community
● Allow youth to make real decisions for ourselves
● Develop safe, clean, and green spaces
● Promote economic and community health
WHAT WE DO
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Organize
We want public schools to be places that welcome, support, and work with Black, immigrant, and LGBTQ+ students rather than excluding, criminalizing, and pushing us out.
We organize to end policing, privatization, and anti-Blackness in our schools. We work to prioritize the leadership, experiences, and knowledge of Black and Brown students.
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Educate
We use political education to name and challenge all oppressive systems that harm people at school and beyond. We build multi-racial and intergenerational power by learning our histories of resistance.
When we understand systems of oppression, we can better organize to end those conditions and create solutions that support the health and well-being of all Black and Brown youth and communities.
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Advocate
We want real support for Black communities, Indigenous communities, poor and working class communities of color. This means schools with smaller class sizes, more electives, college counselors, therapists, & community based safety.
We must DIVEST from a culture and a budget that polices Black students and INVEST in the well-being of Black students.
OUR IMPACT
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OUR IMPACT *
● Pull Up
BUILD POWER WITH STUDENTS DESERVE
Whether you’re curious about ways to get involved, our ongoing youth-led campaigns, or looking to bring your talents to our team, let’s tap in and build power together.