NCJ Number
246269
Date Published
March 2014
Length
24 pages
Annotation
This issue brief provides data on rates of school discipline, seclusion, and restraints used by the Nation's public schools.
Abstract
Highlights from this issue brief include the following: while Black children represent only 18 percent of preschool enrollment, they represent 48 percent of preschool children that receive more than one out-of-school suspension, compared to White children, 43 percent and 26 percent, respectively; boys represent 82 percent of children that receive multiple out-of-school suspensions yet they represent only 54 percent of preschool enrollment; Black students are expelled from school at a rate three times greater than White students; while boys receive more than two out of three suspensions, Black girls are suspended at higher rates than girls of any other race and most boys; students with disabilities are more than twice as likely to receive an out-of-school suspension compared to students without disabilities; students with disabilities and students of color are more likely to be referred to law enforcement compared to White students; and while students with disabilities represent only 12 percent of the student population, they account for 58 percent of students placed in seclusion or involuntary confinement. This issue brief prepared by the U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights provides information on rates of school discipline, seclusion, and restraints used by the Nation's public schools for the 2011-2012 school year. The findings in this report indicate that students from certain racial or ethnic groups and students with disabilities are disciplined at much higher rates than their peers, and that these discriminatory practices begin in preschool. In addition, the findings show that students who receive higher rates of exclusionary discipline lose greater amounts of instructional time compared to their peers. Data limitations are discussed. Tables and figures