Disproportionate rates of suspensions and expulsions among racial/ethnic groups are a local, state, and national concern. Maryland has made significant progress in decreasing the use of exclusionary discipline, but there is substantial work left to do to move toward equity. Maryland has cut the use of exclusionary discipline practices by half in…

Tragic events in recent years underscore the need for school to be a safe and positive learning environment for every student. In the absence of a safe and positive learning environment, a student may feel disconnected, disregard consequences, and engage in bullying or other destructive behaviors. These conditions can foreshadow acts of violence…

Traditionally, schools have often made decisions about instruction, discipline, and other schoolwide policies without youth involvement. And yet, research suggests that when students have choice, control, and leadership opportunities, their motivation and engagement increase, which in turn is linked with better educational outcomes. This new guide…

This guide is designed to supply educators with a means to identify whether racial/ethnic disproportionality in discipline practice exists in their schools or districts. It also aims to help educators use data to reduce racial/ethnic disproportionality in suspensions and expulsions. The guide is organized into two sections. The first section…

Discriminatory discipline practices in the nation's schools disproportionately impact students of color; students with emotional, behavioral, and cognitive disabilities; and youth who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ). Large numbers of these students are removed from class, lose opportunities to learn, and…

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) reauthorization requires State Education Agencies to establish a school choice policy for students attending a persistently dangerous school as defined by the state. No Child Left Behind (NCLB) stipulates that a school can be deemed unsafe as a whole entity or for an individual student who is the…

The paper reviews litigation and discusses issues related to suspension and expulsion of handicapped pupils. Recommendations for reviewing school disciplinary codes are made and for clarifying the relationship between misbehavior and handicapping conditions. An active role for special educators in this process is suggested. (Author/CL)

A three-year study of data on student discipline in one school supports a theory of a relationship between behavior and environmental factors.(MD)

A program where students are supervised and disciplined for improper actions operates successfully at Hemet Junior High School in California. (Author/MLF)

A Saturday session in the Saucon Valley School District, Hallertown (Pennsylvania), including academic tutoring and counseling, is a low-cost effective alternative to suspension. (Author/MLF)

The Illinois School Code requires hearing officers in student expulsion or suspension review cases to provide the school board with a written summary of the evidence heard. While no particular form is required for the summary, this document presents a sample hearing report that can serve as a model for those preparing reports. The…

This document on discipline in school describes the policy, processes and products prepared as supportive resources used in Atlanta, Georgia schools. Basic components of inservice training and support for the discipline policy are listed. A school climate survey questionnaire used in a survey of teachers is included with results which reflect the…

Discusses nine types of court approved disciplinary measures available to schools and teachers. These include detention and in-school suspension, corporal punishment, physical restraint, grade reduction, denial of extracurricular participation, and suspension and expulsion. Synopses of significant legal decisions covering the application of school…

To facilitate the learning process, each school's staff must be empowered to maintain strong, consistent discipline; however, school discipline maintenance is also a total community responsibility. Whenever possible, teachers should solicit parental assistance in correcting discipline problems. Fort Wayne Community School Employees or other adults…

Focuses on practical guidelines for the implementation of discipline policy at the local level, including suggestions for distinguishing discipline policy for disabled students from discipline policy affecting students in general. (MLF)