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Frisco ISD officials say the school district is revising its disciplinary practices after the Texas Education Agency found that Black students — especially those in special education services — were being disproportionately punished with out-of-school suspension.
Data provided by the district and discussed Monday at a school board meeting shows that students in special education make up 11% of the student population but account for 31% of out-of-school suspensions.
Additionally, Black students make up 11% of the student population but account for 35% of out-of-school suspensions. And economically disadvantaged students make up about 12% of the student population but account for about 40% of out-of-school suspensions.
Similar numbers are seen with Hispanic students, students who speak English as a second language and students of two or more ethnicities.
Data shows this is a common pattern around the U.S., with schools disproportionately disciplining students who are Black or Hispanic, have disabilities, speak English as a second language or are in the LGBTQIA community.
The National Education Association considers this a likely result of implicit bias — when stereotypes affect people’s understanding, actions and decisions in an unconscious manner. In 2016, the association committed to closing the “school-to-prison pipeline,” which it describes as stemming in part from “policies and practices that are directly and indirectly pushing students of color out of school and on a pathway to prison.”
Chief Student Services Officer Erin Miller told the school board at Monday’s meeting that a committee of representatives from several district departments, including the special education and diversity and inclusion departments, met earlier this month to discuss the state’s findings. They determined that the district needs to revise its disciplinary practices, she said.
This includes the overuse of suspension and expulsion. Miller said the district would begin using more restorative techniques. Schools will shift from punishing students for their behavior to changing their behavior.
Miller said the district has been working on a new discipline philosophy for years, which she said would take a proactive approach and would address implicit bias across the district.
“Times have changed, and we need to change with them,” she said. “We need to be looking at discipline differently.”