PAACT is a parent coalition working to raise the bar on student behavior, school culture, and school safety in Birmingham Public Schools. We believe every child in this district deserves a consistent, structured learning environment, and that right now there's too much variation in how behavior standards are applied and communicated across schools.

We represent families from across the district in conversations with administrators and school board members, and we work to make sure those conversations are grounded in facts. We're reviewing the Code of Conduct, requesting public records, and meeting privately with board members and district leadership to better understand where the gaps are and what it will take to close them.

Our hope is that the administration will come to see PAACT as a bridge between the district and the parent community. A real partnership where we can have honest conversations about communication gaps, consistency across schools, policy weaknesses, and how parents are actually feeling across the district.

We believe the administration will see the value in what we're trying to do, because at the end of the day, we're working toward the same thing: a stronger community and better outcomes for every kid in Birmingham.

Signing the PAACT means you're adding your name to a growing group of Birmingham Public Schools families who believe behavior standards, consistency, and transparency matter. It tells the district that this isn't one or two frustrated parents. It's a community-wide concern.

Your membership is kept private. PAACT does not share its member list with the district, school administration, or anyone outside of our leadership team.

Joining doesn't obligate you to attend meetings, speak publicly, or take any action you're not comfortable with. What it does is strengthen the coalition's credibility when we sit down with board members and administrators. The more families we represent, the harder it is for those conversations to be dismissed.

Members receive a monthly newsletter, sometimes more frequently depending on what's happening with PAACT that month. It's one of the main ways we keep families informed and connected to what's going on across the district.

We also want to hear from you. The parents in PAACT aren't just parents who are frustrated with their schools. They're parents who want to be more connected to how their children's days actually go. The more voices we have from across the district, sharing both the positive things they're seeing and the challenges, the more complete a picture we can bring to the people making decisions.

If you want to be more involved, there are ways to do that. But simply adding your name and staying informed is enough. You don't have to do anything more than that to matter to this effort.

We're still in the process of gathering information. That includes reviewing Michigan law, studying the district's Code of Conduct, and having direct conversations with board members, teachers, PTAs, and administrators to understand their perspectives on student behavior and school safety.

What we're focused on is finding ways to better utilize the policies and tools that already exist, while making sure any changes stay fully in compliance with state law. We're also looking at transparency and consistency across the district, because right now those things vary too much from building to building.

We'll have more specific recommendations to share once we've completed that groundwork but right now we are giving a voice to the problems in the classrooms that teachers and students are struggling with daily.

We support restorative practices when they're used the way they're designed to be used. The problem we're seeing is that they've become a catch-all response to almost every level of behavior, including serious and repeated incidents. A student having a conversation and writing an apology letter is a reasonable response to some things. It is not a reasonable response to a third physical assault.

The district's own Code of Conduct requires administrators to document their consideration of seven specific factors before making a discipline decision. We're asking for evidence that this is actually happening, and for a clear framework that ensures the response fits the situation, not just the path of least resistance.

No. PAACT is not affiliated with any political party, and we intend to keep it that way. We are a group of parents from across Birmingham Public Schools who believe that safe classrooms, consistent behavior standards, and transparent communication are not political issues. They are basic expectations for every child's education, regardless of where a family falls on the political spectrum.

The moment school safety and student behavior become a partisan debate, the kids lose. We're not interested in that. We're interested in building something that works for every family in this district, and that only happens when the conversation stays focused on children and schools, not politics.

PAACT is not asking for uniform enforcement in a one-size-fits-all sense. Federal law already requires that students with IEPs and 504 plans receive individualized consideration in disciplinary proceedings, and we fully support that. It's the law, it's appropriate, and it's not something we're looking to change.

What we are asking for is clarity and consistency in how the Code of Conduct is written and communicated, so that every student, family, and staff member understands what behavior is expected and what the general range of consequences looks like. Right now, the Code uses the same disciplinary language for infractions that are dramatically different in severity. That vagueness doesn't just affect typical students. It actually makes things harder for the educators working with students who have IEPs, because there's no clear baseline to work from when individual plans are built.

Here's something worth knowing: some of the most vocal voices in support of PAACT have been paraprofessionals who work directly with IEP students. They're not raising concerns about the students they support. They're raising concerns about what's happening in the broader classroom environment around those students. Disruption, unsafe behavior, and lack of clear response protocols affect everyone, including the students who most depend on a calm and structured learning space.

We're not trying to remove nuance from the system. We're trying to build a foundation that actually supports nuance. Clear standards and clearer communication make individualized plans work better, not worse.