Opportunities suspended: The disparate impact of disciplinary exclusion from school

Losen, D. J., & Gillespie, J. (2012). Opportunities suspended: The disparate impact of disciplinary exclusion from school.

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The high risk of getting suspended is not equal to all students and this raises civil rights issues and questions about fundamental fairness of nationwide zero-tolerance policies. This report demonstrates that, while children from every racial group can be found to have a high risk for suspension in some school districts, African American children and children with disabilities are usually at a far greater risk than others. For instance, 67.5% risk for suspension for African American students in Pontiac, Michigan and in the state of Illinois, 41.8% of Black students with disabilities are at risk for suspension- one of the highest rates in the country. Additionally, one out of every six enrolled Black students was suspended, compared with one in twenty White students. Based on data released in March 2012 by the U.S. Department of Education, this report analyzes the risk of out-of-school suspension for every ethnic group, as well as for students with and without disabilities. readers will easily locate the highest suspending school districts for each racial group, and for students with and without disabilities. Connecticut and Maryland are two states that have responded to the mounting research against zero-tolerance policies and provide a sense of hope that steps can be taken to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline by lessening the harshness set forth by zero-tolerance policies.