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Advocates press council to fully fund LEARN Act and a public grievance portal inside DOC
Summary
Student‑attorneys, legal advocates and returning‑citizen witnesses urged full funding of the LEARN Act and a digital, trackable grievance system in DOC. Witnesses cited concrete cost estimates in the fiscal impact statement and argued that failure to fund will deny education and due‑process protections to youth and adults in custody.
Multiple public witnesses told the Committee that educational access and grievance tracking inside DOC are central to reducing recidivism and protecting legal rights. Student attorneys from the UDC Legislation Clinic and members of the School Justice Project said the LEARN Act designates DOC as the local education agency for detained students and creates a digital grievance and transparency portal to prevent complaints from disappearing.
Trinea Ka, a UDC student attorney, said the draft fiscal impact statement estimated construction of a grievance system would cost "approximately $2,360,000 in FY '27 and $4,500,000 over 4 years," and urged the committee to include those provisions in the FY2027 budget. Keyshawn Gacy, a student attorney, described a local example of a young DC resident who was held back from completing school in custody because they lacked an IEP. Advocates asked councilmembers to fund evaluations, a diagnostic assessment capacity, and expansion of classroom space so detained students receive federally guaranteed special education services rather than losing opportunities while housed in DOC.
