John Whitmire |

Written by Aricka Flowers, UOPX Writer Network

Are American schools too harsh when it comes to discipline? A new study by the Council of State Governments Justice Center has some people saying yes to that question. A review of the discipline records from the last 10 years of some 1 million Texas middle and high schoolers showed that about half included a suspension or expulsion. Yet only 3 percent of those punishments were required by state law; the others were based on the behest of school officials.

The reason why the study is problematic is due to the fact that the researchers also found that the suspensions and expulsions were doled out in a haphazard manner when schools, ability and race were considered. Even more impactful is the finding that 31 percent of the students who were disciplined even once ended up repeating a grade at least one time during their academic career. Only 40 percent of those punished 11 times or more ever graduated from high school.

“One of the most important takeaways from the report is learning that the school a student attends largely influences how, when, or if a student is removed from the classroom for disciplinary reasons,” said State Sen. Florence Shapiro (R), who is also chair of the Texas Senate Education Committee. “The data suggests that individual school campuses often have a pronounced influence over how often students are suspended or expelled.” Read More

By Morgan Smith and Ari Auber

Almost 55 percent of recent Texas public school students — a disproportionate number of them African-American or with learning disabilities — were suspended at least once between their seventh and 12th grade years, according to a statewide report released today.

The Council of State Governments Justice Center, in partnership with the Public Policy Research Institute of Texas A&M University, analyzed the individual school records of all Texas seventh grade public school students during the years 2000, 2001 and 2002. They tracked the records of nearly 1 million students for at least six years of their secondary school education.

“As much as I work in the field, I’m shocked by the numbers,” said state Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston and the chairman of the Senate Criminal Justice committee.

The 121-page report details how punishment at public schools might lead to later brushes with the law by linking the disciplinary history of each student who also had a juvenile record.

Among the findings: Minorities and special education students who caused “emotional disturbances” were more likely than white students to be disciplined. In fact, nearly three-fourths of students in special education classes were suspended or expelled at least one time; 83 percent of African-American male students ended up in trouble, in comparison to 74 percent for Hispanic male students and 59 percent for white male students. Among all students, suspensions averaged about two days per offense.

After being suspended or expelled in school, students were consequently more likely to repeat a grade or drop out than their more less-sanctioned counterparts. They were also more likely to have a run-in with the juvenile justice system.

Texas Supreme Court Justice Wallace Jefferson highlighted the link between school discipline and the juvenile justice system in his January State of the State address. In an emailed statement Monday, he said the report “adds important numbers to anecdotal evidence of needed reforms.” Read More