October 3, 2014
First Ever School Discipline Report Card:
When it comes to preventing the School-to-Prison pipeline,
Ohio Schools are failing!
In collaboration with the Dignity in Schools campaign, 5th Annual National Week of Action to stop school push out, Racial Justice Now! will be hosting a press conference at the Dayton Cultural and RTA Transit Center to release the first ever statewide school discipline report card. This statewide school discipline report card assigns a grade to school districts, charters schools, and joint vocational schools in the state of Ohio. The grade is determined using data from the Ohio Department of Education- 2013 statistics.
The school to prison pipeline starts with the suspension and dismissal of students who are often times sent home from school for non- violent and subjective offenses. Students are suspended as early as pre-school and unfortunately suspensions are being handed out in a racially biased way.
The Ohio Department of Education produces an annual report card with numerous measurements, but school discipline is not one. A school discipline report card is an important measurement to have because parents need to be informed about this performance factor when choosing a school to place their child in. In addition, policy makers need access to this information so that they can make changes in the operation and practices of their schools.
“Blacks cialismax who dropout have a 70% chance of going to prison. Students who have one suspension in 9th grade are only half as likely to graduate. The school-to-prison pipeline has been clearly demonstrated.” Professor Emeritus Vernellia Randall , The University of Dayton School of Law
The Ohio School discipline report card is based on 3 components: expulsions, subjective behavior, and racial disparity.
Exclusions: Exclusion is the combined rate of out of school suspensions plus expulsions plus a penalty for suspension in pre-kindergarten through 3rd grade, as well as in 7th through 9th grade.
Subjective behavior: Schools received a grade if they had a large portion of exclusions for inappropriate discipline and non-violent behavior that is subject to individual comfort level and biases. The subjective behavior grade was based on the percentage of exclusions that was for disruptive/disobedient behavior plus a penalty for exclusions for truancy and for use of tobacco.
Racial disparity is the difference in exclusion based on race. In this report it is measured by dividing the rate of the racial group with the highest exclusions by rate of the racial group with the lowest exclusions.
