The U.S. Department of Justice and public school administrators in Mississippi have filed a landmark consent decree to prevent and address racial disparities in student discipline in schools. An investigation by the Justice Department found that black students in Meridian, Mississippi often received harsher disciplinary consequences than white students of the same age when the students engaged in comparable misbehavior, had similar disciplinary histories, and were even at the same school.
School reform advocates argue that students who are suspended and expelled are more likely to fail, drop out of school, end up in jail or prison, and live in poverty. If approved by the court, the proposed consent decree will provide students with support and interventions before excluding them from school; limit the use of disciplinary measures that remove students from the classroom; ensure that disciplinary consequences are fair and consistent; establish clear guidelines for when law enforcement intervention is appropriate; provide training for teachers and administrators to manage their schools in a safe, effective and positive manner; and build data-driven monitoring and accountability systems. Read more here.