Georgia Appleseed Center for Law & Justice

10/02/2026

Help us turn our new office into a space where our team, partners, volunteers, and families can feel at home.

Georgia Appleseed has officially planted roots in our temporary home at King Plow Arts Center, and while we have the essentials, we’re still filling in a few important pieces.

You can help by shopping our wish list and sending needed items straight to our door: https://a.co/08Q5CSoe

Every contribution helps us create a more welcoming, functional space for the work ahead.

10/01/2026

What does stronger school-based behavioral health support look like across Georgia?

At the Middle Georgia Regional School-Based Behavioral Health Forum and Innovation Lab, Georgia Appleseed’s Mary Kathryn Velazquez and Fatima Santillan helped lead a policy lab discussion on regional priorities, barriers to care, funding gaps, and opportunities to better support K–12 students.

As a partner in the Georgia School-Based Behavioral Health Collaborative, we’re helping bring community voices into the conversation about how schools can better meet students’ behavioral health needs.

Learn more about the Collaborative and resources: https://schoolbasedbehavioralhealth.org/about-us/

Our goal is to ensure that every school in Georgia is equipped to provide evidence-based behavioral health services for their students, improving the well-being of Georgia youth and their communities.

10/01/2026

Georgia Appleseed was proud to join the annual Pearls and Purpose community event, bringing together resources and support for K–12 students and families in North Fulton as they begin a new school year.

Our team shared school supplies, school discipline advocacy toolkits, and special education resources to help families better understand and navigate their students’ rights.

A special thank you to our wonderful volunteers, Victoria, Domonique, and Tami, for connecting with families, sharing resources, and helping make sure parents and caregivers know where to turn when their student needs support.

We’re grateful to be part of events like Pearls and Purpose that make information and resources more accessible to families across Georgia.

09/21/2026

Attorneys and advocates in Savannah: Join us for a hands-on training on representing students in school disciplinary hearings.

Georgia Appleseed attorney Jack Grote will lead Trial Skills for Disciplinary Hearings, drawing on his extensive experience representing students before disciplinary tribunals across Georgia.

This interactive session will focus on the practical skills advocates need in the hearing room, including pre-hearing objections, opening and closing statements, and examining students, parents, teachers, and administrators. Participants will also have the opportunity to practice witness examinations and get real-time feedback.

Whether you’re new to school disciplinary hearings or looking to sharpen your advocacy skills, this training is designed to give you techniques you can put to use right away.

Trial Skills for Disciplinary Hearings
Savannah, Georgia
September 25
3:00 PM

09/17/2026

We’ve moved!

Georgia Appleseed is settling into our new, interim home at King Plow Arts Center, and we’re grateful to the people who helped make the move possible.

We are deeply grateful to our Board Member Raj Nichani and his team at The RMN Agency who helped make our new space possible.

And a special thank you to volunteers Gio Torres and Luis Valdez from Lambda Theta Phi Latin Fraternity, Inc. - Gamma Pi Chapter at Georgia State University, who generously gave their time and muscle to help us get moved in. Their chapter’s commitment to service and philanthropy was very much appreciated on moving day!

We’re grateful to have a place to call home for now while we plan for what comes next.

09/09/2026

Help us add a few finishing touches to Georgia Appleseed’s temporary office space!

We’re seeking a limited number of new or gently used items:
🪑 Comfortable office chairs
🛋️ Area rugs
🍽️ Small tables for shared spaces—ideal for eating lunch or working away from a desk

Because this is a temporary space, we are not looking for desks, conference tables, or large quantities of furniture. If you may have something that fits our needs, please send photos and dimensions to [email protected].

09/09/2026

We’re moving—and we could use a few extra hands!

Georgia Appleseed is looking for volunteers to help load and unload our moving truck this Thursday and Friday, September 10-11. If you can lend some time (and a little muscle!), we would be incredibly grateful.

Contact Leah ([email protected]) to volunteer.

Please share with anyone who may be able to help!

09/02/2026

59%.
Among ninth graders already at higher risk of justice-system involvement, 59% of those suspended out of school later became involved in the justice system, according to research highlighted by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. For students suspended for five days or more, it was 64%.

Those numbers are a stark reminder that what happens when a student gets in trouble at school can have consequences far beyond just missing class.

That’s why Georgia Appleseed works to keep students connected to school. We provide direct legal guidance to students and families, and also work with schools and communities to promote discipline practices that support students, address challenging behavior, and keep classrooms safe and productive.

School discipline shouldn’t put a young person on a path toward the justice system.

Know a student who needs help? Request our support at referastudent.org.

Read the Annie E. Casey Foundation article: https://www.aecf.org/blog/students-suspended-out-of-school-in-ninth-grade-face-greater-risk-of-juvenile-justice-involvement

08/28/2026

How can we make school-based mental health supports work better for students?

Join us on September 11 in Macon for the Middle Georgia Regional School-Based Behavioral Health Forum and Innovation Lab, hosted by the Georgia School-Based Behavioral Health Collaborative.

Hear from Dr. Katherine Pickard of the Marcus Autism Center at Emory on supporting neurodivergent youth, including students with autism and ADHD, then take part in our first SBBH Innovation Lab focused on strengthening planning and expanding access to services.

9:00 AM–3:30 PM | Middle Georgia State University

Mark your calendars — registration link coming soon!

08/27/2026

Georgia Appleseed is excited to join Clayton County Public Schools and community partners for their annual Back-In-School event this Saturday, August 29 at 10 AM! We’ll be there sharing school justice and housing advocacy resources—and distributing school supplies to help students and families start the school year strong.

Come by and connect with us!