Children's Policy and Law Initiative of Indiana

The positive school discipline institute is a year-long training Initiative for school personnel to reform disciplinary practices and promote student academic success. The program provides educators with the tools to help teachers, administrators, student resource officers and support staff improve the school learning environment and reduce exclusionary discipline. In 2022, cpli conducted a community wide training on culturally-responsive, trauma-informed practices in schools.

The youth justice leadership program elevates youth voice on key education/justice issues and seeks to mentor young people to build resilience and develop leadership and advocacy skills. In 2022, cpli used grant funding from the central Indiana community foundation (cicf), the pacer foundation and the national juvenile justice network (njjn) to support youth involvement in our community Initiative on trauma and culturally-responsive practices, a youth roundtable on school discipline and policing, and our lunch series-understanding culture in our Children's lives.

Cpli engages in public education and collaboration on Children's issues. In 2022, cpli held multiple community forums and workshops through our: (1) community Initiative on trauma and culturally-responsive practices: (2) lunch series-understanding culture in our Children's lives; and (3) annual public Policy summit on juvenile justice reform. Additionally, cpli coordinates the Indiana coalition for youth justice, which now has over 70 organizational members, to advance youth justice in Indiana; and the comprehensive student supports coalition, with over 20 organizational members, which seeks to address low staff/student ratios (deficits)--school counselors, social workers, psychologists and nurses- which provide these supports in schools.