R.A.C.C.E. Radical Advocates for Cross Cultural Education DMC-COLLABORATIVE 9/29/2016

What issues are students facing here? Under resourced / failing public schools Zero tolerance policies Policing school hallways Negative school culture These conditions make it difficult for students to thrive in the school environment and make them more likely to be suspended and expelled.

WHY ARE WE HERE? There is clear evidence demonstrating that students of color are more likely to be subject to exclusionary disciplinary action Suspended students are at greater risk for falling behind academically and dropping out of school Numerous studies show that there is a clear and direct link between exclusionary discipline and students’ entrance into the justice system That means that schools are acquainting students of color with the justice system more often than they need to Social & economic consequences for students and their communities.

Exclusionary Discipline “Exclusionary discipline describes any type of school disciplinary action that removes or excludes a student from his or her usual educational setting.” --National Clearinghouse on Supportive School Discipline - See more at: http://supportiveschooldiscipline.org/learn/reference-guides/exclusionary-discipline#sthash.cEOLDp8Y.dpuf

Are Exclusionary Discipline Practices on the Rise? Zero tolerance for safer schools? “Broken windows” Swift, harsh punishments for certain prescribed behaviors Often coupled with the presence of police officers in schools Zero tolerance policies criminalize minor infractions of school rules and police officers in schools lead to students being criminalized for behavior that should be handled inside the school. (73% of all suspensions in Waterbury Public Schools are of this kind-2013-15) Virtually any student can fall victim, but students of color and vulnerable populations are the most likely victims.

Waterbury Public Schools 2014-15 State of Connecticut 2014-15 Waterbury Public Schools 2014-15

Suspensions 2014-15 ED 166 Data In Waterbury 25.9 % of all Black students were suspended-1149, 10.5 % of all white students 395, 19.6 % of all Hispanic students-1935, and 29% of all SPED students-1064. In New Haven 13.4 % of all Black students were suspended-1231, 3.9 % of all white students-126, 6.1 % of all Hispanic students-539, and 14.8 of all SPED students-433. In Hartford 22.1% of all Black students were suspended-1521, 6.2% of all white students-163, 16.5% of all Hispanic students-1825, and 20.1 % of all SPED students-809.

When is Equity Possible? “The first step in addressing inequitable outcomes in education is to clearly recognize that disparities by race and ethnicity continue to exist. In order to come to that recognition, it is necessary to have a standard set of measures of disproportionality in order to provide an agreed upon baseline describing the extent of current disparities.” ~The Equity Project at Indiana University

Waterbury Public Schools Discipline Disparities 2013-2015 Over the last three years Black male students were suspended at a rate of 3.5 to 1 to their white counterparts (8792 vs. 2504). Over the last three years individual Black male students were suspended at a 2.7 to 1 ratio to their white counterparts. Over the last three years 29% of all Black male students were suspended while only 7.2% of all white male students were suspended. These data also confirm that Black male students are exposed to a 1.4 disparate impact rate for discipline sanctions over their white counterparts.

Over the last three years Hispanic students were suspended at a rate of 4.9 to 1 to their white counterparts (19,560 vs. 3976) while only having a 2.3 to 1 population ratio. Over the last three years individual Hispanic students suspended at least once totaled 5546 vs. 1289 for their white counterparts. Over the last three years of 20% all Hispanic students were suspended vs. only 7.5% of all white students. Over the last 3 years Black female students were suspended at a rate of 3.5 to 1 (5041 vs. 1472), while having a 1.1 to 1 population ratio. Over the last 3 years Black female individuals were responsible for suspensions that equaled 1375 vs. 437 for white females. A 3.2 to 1 ratio. Over the last 3 years 21% of all Black females were suspended while only 8% of White female students were suspended. This equates to a 2.6 times greater Risk Index for Black female students.

Over the last 3 years, even though population numbers have decreased along with suspension totals, Black female students have seen an intensification of their suspensions. Risk Ratios increased from 2.6 to 1 to 3 to 1. Over the last 3 years 35% of all female suspensions were given to Black females while Black females only accounted for 24% of the female population. This equates to a 1.5 disparate impact rate. In the last three years Black students have been arrested at a rate of 5 to 1 to their white counterparts. Black and White students have a 1.2 to 1 population ratio. Hispanic students have been arrested at rate of 7.5 to 1 to their White counterparts. Hispanic and White students have a 2.3 to 1 population ratio.

Student Arrests Total Arrests Individuals Arrested

What Happens? Students who are suspended and arrested graduate at significantly lower rates. No suspensions-75%, one suspension 52%, two or more 38% (John Hopkins University, 2013) School to Prison Pipeline is real and starts as early as Pre-K. The Center for Labor Market Studies reported that one in ten individuals who don’t graduate high school will enter the criminal justice system, and for black individuals its one in four. Suspended students are 3 times more likely to be put into juvenile justice systems (Black Girls Matter, African American Policy Forum, 2015).

Solutions City-Wide Open Data Sharing Plans. The timely reporting of disaggregated data allows data to be used as a qualitative tool to assess the impacts of policies as well as the practices of education professionals. Intra-gender analysis of race and ability must be made compulsory for districts that have disparities like the ones in Waterbury. Education professionals must be evaluated in ways that account for existing disparities at the district, school, and classroom levels. Training to build professional capacity as culturally competent educators must be enhanced as well embraced by district leaders. Legislation that would require School Resource Officers to receive more and better training as educators not law enforcement. But we don’t have to wait. Eliminate OSS. The fact that a student who is suspended once is more likely to be suspended in the future suggests that suspensions have a negative effect on students’ behavior and academic outcomes. Alternative forms of school discipline must be embraced. Legal Remedies. Do the persistent and harmful discipline disparities warrant judicial remedies? If not, when?