Why We Exist
The Coalition to End the School-to-Prison Pipeline is a Washington State alliance of advocacy organizations, legal aid providers, educators, researchers, and families united around a single goal: ending the policies and practices that push students — disproportionately students of color and students with disabilities — out of school and into the juvenile justice system.
We believe every student deserves to learn in a school that supports them rather than excludes them. We work to change the laws, practices, and data systems that make the pipeline possible — and to put tools, information, and advocacy support in the hands of the families and communities most affected.
Our Work
Policy advocacy. We track legislation in Olympia and advocate for reforms that reduce exclusionary discipline, expand youth diversion, and hold schools accountable for discipline equity. The Policy Tracker reflects our current legislative priorities.
Resources and education. We aggregate research, legal guides, and practical tools so that families, educators, and advocates have what they need to understand and challenge the pipeline. Everything in the Resources section is free and publicly available.
Coalition building. No single organization can end the pipeline alone. We bring together organizations with different constituencies and areas of expertise — legal aid, disability rights, civil rights, education advocacy, juvenile justice reform — to work toward shared goals.
Know Your Rights support. We provide plain-language information about Washington’s student discipline laws and connect families in discipline situations to the advocates and legal aid organizations that can help them.
How We Work
Washington has enacted some of the strongest school discipline protections in the country. The gap between what the law requires and what students actually experience is the space we work in.
We are non-partisan. We work with legislators, administrators, advocates, and families across the political spectrum who share the goal of keeping students in school and out of the justice system.
We follow the data. Washington publishes detailed discipline data disaggregated by race, disability, and other student characteristics. That data drives our policy priorities and helps us identify which districts and schools need the most attention.
We center the communities most affected. The pipeline does not fall equally on all students. Our work prioritizes the students and families who bear the greatest burden of exclusionary discipline: Black students, American Indian and Alaska Native students, students with disabilities, students in foster care, and students experiencing homelessness.
Who We Are
The coalition is made up of member organizations — nonprofits, legal aid providers, advocacy groups, and educational institutions — and individual members including educators, advocates, researchers, and community members, all united around ending the school-to-prison pipeline in Washington State.
Organizations → Add your organization to the coalition — no fee to join.
Individuals → Stay connected as an individual supporter via our newsletter and action alerts.
Get in Touch
For media inquiries, partnership questions, or to share a resource, use the contact form. To join the coalition mailing list or add your organization, visit Join Us.