CUP: Store

Urban Investigations

The Good, Bad, & Unknown

On September 7, 2017, Chancellor Carmen Fariña of the New York City Department of Education (DOE) sent families a letter to introduce the updated Citywide Behavioral Expectations to Support Student Learning (Discipline Code) for students K-12. The letter encouraged families to read a total of 80 pages on disciplinary responses and interventions. What are the standards of student behavior? What are the consequences? Who decides?

In the spring of 2018, CUP collaborated with Teaching Artist Nupur Mathur and public high school students from the KAPPA International High School in the Bronx to investigate these questions.

Students got out of the classroom to survey their school community on student rights and responsibilities, and interview key DOE staff on school safety. This newspaper is a guide to what students learned about the Discipline Code, how it impacts students and their families, and what it means for the future of their school.