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CCE Releases Equity in School Discipline Report

The District of Columbia has a longstanding problem of poor school attendance, significant suspension and expulsion rates, high drop-out rates, and low levels of high school graduation.  When youth are not in school and do not graduate, they are at greater risk of entering the juvenile justice system or becoming disengaged and on a path to nowhere.  In addressing these issues, the Council for Court Excellence examined the school discipline policies and practices that may be intentionally or unintentionally pushing students out of the classroom and contributing to inequity in discipline and educational outcomes. 
 
Equity in School Discipline: An Examination of School Disciplinary Policies and Practices in the District of Columbia Public Education System and Recommendations for Reform is a first-of-its-kind, comprehensive description and assessment of the disciplinary systems and policies in the District’s traditional and charter public schools. The report contains ten policy recommendations that policymakers, education stakeholders, advocates and the community may consider for providing a fair school discipline process for all District youth. 
 
This report is a product of the 13-member CCE School Discipline Project Committee comprised of judges, law professors, civic leaders, the private bar and law enforcement.  The first phase of the project began by assessing the DC Public Schools’ (DCPS) discipline code and 62 charter school discipline policies for the 2012-2013 school year.  The DC traditional public schools are governed by one common discipline code regulation while each public charter school has its own discipline policy. The second project phase analyzed student discipline case data from the Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) that hears student discipline cases from DCPS students facing long-term suspension or expulsion.  The third and final phase involved interviews with DC school administrators from some of the highest and lowest suspending and expelling middle and high schools.  
 
The report is organized around these three project phases including a comprehensive assessment of the DC public education leadership and assessment of traditional and charter school disciplinary systems; an overview of the procedural due process protections afforded to a traditional and charter school student facing a suspension or expulsion; and profiles from some of the lowest and highest suspending and expelling middle and high schools sharing best practices and recommendations for improving school discipline. 
 
CCE is hosting a formal roll-out of the report on Monday, March 23rd from 12:30 - 2:00 pm at the Sumner School, 1201 17th Street, NW. Please check CCE's website for more details  or contact Hillary Evans, evans@courtexcellence.org.  
 
Click here to read the Press Release.
 
Click here to read the Executive Summary.
 
Click here to read the Full Report.
 
 
 
 
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