Equity & Discipline Disproportionality:
According to the PBIS Disproportionality Policy Guide: Key Elements of Policies to Address Discipline Disproportionality: A Guide for District and School Teams, "Despite a documented history of inequality and disparate student outcomes, rates of discipline disproportionality have continued to increase over time, primarily for African American students. In 2012, African American students were over 3.5 times more likely to be suspended than their white peers, with disparities beginning at the preschool level (U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights, 2014, March). Racial differences in exclusionary discipline are seen even when controlling for socioeconomic status (Anyon et al., 2014). Furthermore, some policies, such as zero-tolerance, are intended to be race-neutral but can exacerbate disparities (American Psychological Association, 2008).
It is important for districts and schools to be aware of explicit bias and implicit bias and how biases may affect discipline decisions. Explicit racial bias is a conscious form of discrimination against other groups in ways that continue inequities. Explicit bias should be addressed through policy. Implicit bias is a form of unconscious and unintended discrimination that includes an overreliance of stereotypes to make decisions. A way to reduce its effects is to identify situations where biased decisions are more likely to happen and teach equity strategies.
Districts and schools can look at seven key elements for equity policies:
Make a specific commitment to equity by including equity in mission statements, using specific words such as racial, cultural, and ability, and hiring preferences for equitable outcomes.
Include family partnerships in policy development by regularly seeking input from a range of families, recruiting family leaders and including them in district and school decisions, and regular evaluations of effectiveness of family engagement programs.
Focus on implementing positive behavior support practices by adopting a behavior prevention multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) framework, defining and regular teaching of positive behaviors for students and staff, and creating support structures for effective implementation.
Establish clear, objective discipline procedures where the rights and responsibilities for adults and students are defined, prosocial behaviors and problem behaviors are operationally defined, and there are clear delineations of between major and minor behavior incidents.
Remove or reduce exclusionary practices by clearly communicating that suspension or expulsion is limited to behavior incidents that pose a serious and credible threat to the safety of students or staff and describe alternatives to suspension.
Use graduated discipline systems with instructional alternatives to exclusion by using a process to determine appropriate responses to behavior incidents.
Use procedures with accountability for equitable student outcomes through ongoing disaggregated data collection, data analysis through regular team meetings, data-based decision making, action planning, and sharing data with stakeholders.