image copyright Books Not Bars | Open Source with Christopher Lydon

Our Impact

The intertwined crises of educational inequity and mass incarceration fuel persistent racial injustice and they demand bold, multi-layered solutions. At SJP, we believe that access to special education legal services can be a powerful part of the response. Because federal and local special education protections remain intact during incarceration, we focus on ensuring that students who need these services can actually benefit from them.

SJP works to improve access and outcomes for students at the deepest end of the school-to-prison pipeline by leveraging special education law to:

While individual student representation is central to our mission, our impact extends well beyond it. Through strategic litigation and systemic advocacy—including our landmark class actions Charles H. v. DC and Barnes v. DC—SJP works to hold public systems accountable and push for structural reforms that benefit all students with disabilities, particularly those impacted by the criminal legal system. These efforts aim to shift policies, improve practices, and transform institutions so that meaningful access to education and opportunity is not the exception, but the norm.

95%

In 2024, 95% of SJP clients demonstrated increased knowledge or understanding of their education rights.

100%

In 2024, 100% of clients released from incarceration re-enrolled in school within 30 days of release.

87%

In 2024, SJP’s education advocacy during court hearings resulted in mitigating the outcome in 87% of cases.

Financials, Metrics, and Reports

School Justice Project is a 501(c)(3) organization. EIN Number: 46-1625412.