Free DEI Educational Webinars Hosted by the FISA Foundation — April 7 and April 19

Digging Deeper: School Policing in Allegheny County
Slots still available for free webinar
April 7, 2022, 2:00 pm–3:30 pm EST
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Schools should be safe places for learning, but the increased presence of police in schools has made schools less safe for some students, particularly students of color and students with disabilities. As school administrators, school boards, parents, and advocates seek to better understand the role police are playing in their schools, it is important to both listen to students and to critically examine data. But can the community count on data about school policing in schools? A recently-released report by ACLU of PA, Student Arrests in Allegheny County Schools: The Need for Transparency and Accountability, has found serious discrepancies and inconsistencies in how schools report student arrests and citations. While flawed, some patterns clearly emerge, including that race and disability-based disparities in policing are greater in Pennsylvania than the national averages, and that Pittsburgh has higher rates than other parts of the state. The co-authors of the report will present their findings, and we’ll discuss the implications.

Race + Disability Check-in: Representation in Media and Society
April 19, 2022, 12:00 pm–1:30 pm EST
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1 in 4 people in the US has a disability, yet disability is not widely portrayed in mainstream culture. Movements like #DisabilityTooWhite have shone a light on the limited scope of disability representation in media and society. In this interactive lunchtime conversation, we will unpack mainstream depictions of disability with an eye to how they engage with white supremacist culture as well as how they harm people people of color and people with disabilities.

You can always find the full list of upcoming programs here and recordings from past programs here.