On January 1st, 2017, a Missouri new state statute took effect.  Under this new law, school officials will no longer treat schoolyard scuffles as minor offenses. Students may now be charged with a felony for assault, regardless of their age or grade.

This is a preposterous policy proposed by heartless, unrealistic, out-of-touch authoritarians; it only perpetuates and fortifies the #SchoolToPrisonPipeline.  And (newsflash) it would apply to low-income rural white kids just as it would urban African American kids.

So often, especially with young/adolescent kids, it’s hard to tell who actually initiated the fight or caused an injury. (Parents with multiple kids can attest to the difficulty of determining “who started it”. Imagine being a teacher with 20+ kids to keep an eye on, their guilt or innocence entirely in your hands.)

Some of these students are defending themselves against bullies; others are coping with stress-related behavioral problems caused by circumstances beyond their control, such as divorce or the death of a family member.

This policy seems to leave little room for due process, and even if a student manages to overcome their hurdles to graduate, he or she will leave high school with a felony?!
The point-fingers-and-penalize approach is administrative overreach far beyond the scope of our schools’ primary purpose: informing and uplifting our kids. Doling out felonies is NOT education.

If school administrators want to get more involved, they should offer counseling and conflict resolution, NOT stricter punishments that leave a lasting negative impact, effectively ruining the lives of the very children we trust them to protect.

#VoteVowell on April 4th.

For more information, please see the links below:
https://thinkprogress.org/missouri-school-felonies-d840e8ec7242#.vxw6307pi
http://www.moga.mo.gov/mostatutes/stathtml/55800000111.html

I’m proud to announce that this morning, I was the first candidate to file a declaration of candidacy for St. Louis City Board of Education.  More updates, events, and full platform to come.  Stay tuned!

 #VoteVowell on April 4th!   

With Love,

This evening, the AFT Local 420 and the League of Women Voters hosted a forum for School Board Candidates at Carr Lane Visual Performing Arts Middle School.  It was a pleasure answering voters’ questions.  These events are essential to informing and empowering citizens to choose the right candidates.

“The problem with our schools is not just policies or test scores.  The root of our problems runs much deeper, and that is what we must work to heal.  I’m on the front lines of poverty and education issues every day.  Whether I’m knee-deep in vacant northside buildings, removing dead animals and debris to help a low-income family become homeowners, or loading unwanted electronics onto a truck and building recycled computers for kids who lack technology access, I do whatever it takes.  I never quit.  I’m available 24 hours per day.  I want to bring my passion and energy for these issues to elected office to empower our youth and parents in poverty.  I encourage you all to get to know me one-on-one.  I’m a full-time volunteer, eager to take your calls–day or night.  Thank you for having me, and I hope I have earned your vote this evening.”
– Natalie A. Vowell (Closing Statement)

Thank you to all who helped organize this event and everyone who attended.

A very special thanks to C-Sharp and the
#VoteVowell team members who came out to support me!

Photos courtesy of Will Leeway.

Thanks also to Jacob McDaniel for the realtime Twitter coverage.

You may read the STL Today article here:
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/education/candidates-for-st-louis-school-board-discuss-how-to-make/article_d4747e0a-6a2e-5efa-850b-e2f805aae4a8.html

Neglectful “upkeep” of these vacant buildings is diverting funding from our operating schools. If we are unable to keep City schools open, we should allow local citizens to repurpose them as community centers, family crisis shelters, food pantries, or other neighborhood service providers.  ‪#‎VoteVowell‬ on April 7!

http://www.ksdk.com/story/news/local/2015/02/12/dozens-of-vacant-school-buildings-up-for-sale/23274227/

St. Louis Public Schools deserve full accreditation.  We are ready to get special interests out of our City schools, address the “performance” issues of children living in poverty, advocate good pay and benefits for good teachers in public schools, and encourage only the charter schools who actually deliver on their promises to educate our students from low-income families.

You may feel free to print the above window sign to show your support for Natalie, or contact us and we’ll deliver one to you!