Tackling Virginia schools' racial disparities in discipline: ‘It should be top priority’
RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - The On Your Side investigators are uncovering racial disparities in discipline at several local school districts.
New data from the state reveals black and minority students are more likely to face long-term suspension than their white peers.
Experts say it’s a problem reported in Virginia schools for decades.
“Should Central Virginia school leaders be concerned with how black and minority students are being disciplined in comparison to their white peers?” David Naff, assistant professor at VCU, said. “It should be top priority for schools and divisions across Virginia.“
It’s what experts call racial disparity in discipline within schools.
“When you look at the literature, some of the earliest work has been published back in the 60s and 70s. It’s been a focus for a long time, and it’s important to recognize it can happen in different school contexts.”
Bridget Charles, a Hanover grandma, believes her grandson experienced excessive discipline. She says he got into a fight in school after another student allegedly touched his food.
“But then it goes into the child now trying to touch his food again, and you see Kayden from trying to stop him from doing it,” Charles explained. “So the child then went to jump at him, trying to hit Kayden, and then the fight went from there.”
The entire ordeal was caught on camera.
“What you did was going back a second time. You lost control of yourself, but Kayden, it’s not enough to kick you out of school and send you to an alternative school.
A disciplinary officer sentenced Kayden to an alternative school for several weeks.
“It was just policy, policy, policy, policy, but there was no compassion, cultural awareness, anything,” Charles said.
The Hanover student Code of Conduct states that fighting is a level 3 offense, which can result in an alternative program.
12 On Your Side contacted the school division about this matter, and they confirmed that it’s not typical for a student who gets into a fight for the first time with no injuries to be sent to an alternative school.
However, they say they cannot share all the facts that led to their decision because of privacy laws.
Kayden’s story had us diving deeper into the division’s disciplinary numbers.
In the 23-24 school year, Black students in Hanover were three times more likely to receive long-term suspensions, meaning more than 10 days out of school.
This data is presented on the Virginia Department of Education’s website.
Hanover isn’t the only local school division with similar results; Henrico, Chesterfield and Powhatan are also among them.
Richmond school’s data showed slightly lower results than their neighboring divisions.
“The biggest culprit that we’ve seen when we were doing research on this is the use of subjective codes or decodes,” Naff said. “For things like disrespectful, disorderly conduct and defiance, that’s where bias can come into play.”
Each school division acknowledges the need to tackle racial disparities.
Their statements on the matter are as follows:
CHESTERFIELD: “Schools are encouraged to use every effort through interventions with the least severe disciplinary responses. Responses emphasize prevention and effective intervention, promote positive school culture and prevent disruption to the student’s education.”
HANOVER: “We recognize that violations of the Code of Student Conduct can stem from challenges that a student is facing, and we proactively work to support them and their overall well-being. To that end, we were the first school division in Virginia to form a Mental Health Task Force (2018-19 school year), and we continue to implement the Task Force’s recommendations, such as classroom lessons that help our students apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to understand and manage their emotions.”
HENRICO: “The disproportionality of student discipline is an area of focus for school divisions across the nation, including Henrico County Public Schools. That is not to say, however, that staff are intentionally administering more strict consequences to any one student group in relation to another.”
POWHATAN: “On a quarterly basis, we also conduct a division-level review of this data to evaluate trends and ensure parity in how discipline is applied across all student groups.
We prioritize examining both the incidents and responses to student discipline to make sure that our actions are aligned with best practices and apply a similar lens to all students, regardless of their race.”
RICHMOND: “Over the last five years, RPS has invested millions of dollars in expanding our behavioral and mental health supports. This has included adding dozens of counselors and social workers to our schools, training our staff in evidence-based, trauma-informed behavioral management techniques, and adding educational and restorative components to our discipline progression. Reducing suspensions to improve school climate is part of our strategic plan, and we’re proud to see that number trending downward.”
However, it also says its discipline committees follow the Student Code of Conduct when implementing discipline.
A 2020 study by the Virginia School Boards Association found that the best way to tackle racial disparity in discipline is through staff diversity.
“There’s plenty of research that suggests if you hire educators of color, then the outcomes of students of color tend to be more beneficial,” Naff said.
Several school divisions also reveal they are working to diversify their staff.
In Chesterfield, the school division has a Mirror Me program. This program allows students who wish to become educators to do so through a university partnership with the school division. After they finish their degree program, they are guaranteed a job in Chesterfield’s division.
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