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U.S. Department of Education Civil Rights Data Finds
Persistent Racial Disparities in School Discipline and
Policing
A Press Statement from Advancement Project, the Alliance for
Educational Justice and the Philadelphia Students’ Union
The national racial justice groups Advancement Project, the
Alliance for Educational Justice, the Philadelphia Students’
Union and the Urban Youth Collaborative today urged decisive
action to address stubbornly persistent racial disparities
in school discipline. Their remarks follow new data from the
U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR)
on school discipline and trends in school policing for the
2013-2014 school year. Despite a 20 percent drop in overall
school suspensions, Black and Brown students continue to be
over-policed and excessively punished through suspensions
and other exclusionary discipline. New data also reveals
schools in communities of color are more likely to house
robust police presence than those with majority white
student populations.
“The Department of Education data shows persistent racism in
our schools,” said Judith Browne Dianis, executive director
of Advancement Project. “Black children are over-suspended
and over-policed. Detailed data shows Black children are
subjected to aggressive disciplinary practices and
criminalized for their behavior. Schools must change
policies that allow for subjective decisions on the basis of
race and move toward police-free learning spaces.”
"The OCR data confirms what the community has long assessed;
there is a war on Black youth through increased police
presence and occupation of their schools,” said Jonathan
Stith, national coordinator for the Alliance for Educational
Justice. “There is much work to be done to address the
criminalization of children in their classrooms. It is
deeply unfortunate that the OCR data fails to document
school-based police brutality like the assaults of students
at
Ben
Franklin High School
and
Spring
Valley High School
that were recorded and documented by Black youth."
“Sadly, neighborhood schools are overly and unjustly
policed,” said Luke Risher, a student at Science Leadership
Academy in Philadelphia, Pa. and a member of the
Philadelphia Student Union. “There is no justification for
excessively policing Black and Brown students since we know
from years of research that children of color aren’t
behaving any worse than their white counterparts, but are
disproportionately punished due to implicit, and sometimes,
explicit bias. Philadelphia’s magnet and special admission
schools like Science Leadership Academy and Julia R.
Masterman School have minimal police presence. At my magnet
school, we have one-on-one conversations, use restorative
justice tactics, and as a result, have a school climate
based on trust and care.”
Key findings from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office
of Civil Rights data collection reveal:
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Black students in grades K-12 in public schools are 3.8
times as likely to receive one or more out-of-school
suspensions as white students.
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While Black students represent 19 percent of preschool
enrollment, they account for 47 percent of preschool
children receiving one or more out-of-school
suspensions.
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Most of the preschool students in public schools who are
suspended are boys, meaning the criminalization of Black
boys starts when they are toddlers.
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American Indian or Alaska Native, Latino, Native
Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, and multiracial boys
are also disproportionately suspended from school. They
represent 15 percent of K-12 students, but 19 percent of
students receiving one or more out-of-school
suspensions.
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Students of color are more likely to be identified as
having a disability and face harsher discipline than
their white classmates.
“Schools must end the practice of criminalizing the behavior
of Black and Brown and children,” said Kesi Foster,
coordinator for the Urban Youth Collaborative. “We should
divest from policing and invasive and oppressive security
measures and invest in proven practices such as restorative
justice and trauma and healing informed practices.”
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