CONVENING SUMMARY
Why?School districts nationwide are acknowledging the need to change approaches to discipline and lower suspension and expulsion rates that disproportionately affect students of color and students with disabilities. Several school districts across the country provide a model for revising school district Codes of Conduct, confronting the challenges involved in remaking school climates and establishing restorative discipline practices. Continued federal attention and foundation resources are needed to effectively implement positive discipline approaches, including training teachers, hiring counselors and collecting data to track progress.
Who?Opening Remarks-
Panelists- A panel discussion explored on-the-ground efforts to reform discipline practices and the challenges facing school districts as they try to improve school climates.
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To read our report on school discipline policy, go here.
The main body of the report documents gross disparities in the use of out-of-school suspension experienced by students with disabilities and those from historically disadvantaged racial, ethnic, and gender subgroups. The egregious disparities elevates concerns about an educational policy that allows frequent disciplinary removal into a profound matter of civil rights and social justice. This implicates the potentially unlawful denial of educational opportunity and resultant disparate impact on students in numerous districts across the country.