Discipline discrimination exists in Chico Unified School District

It has already been documented that school districts across the United States are disciplining a disproportionate number of children in specific racial groups. Chico Unified School District is not excluded from this practice.

Mike Allen, Chico High School associate principal.
Photo by Chico High School/Chico Unified School District

"That's something we're very aware of and that we look at," said Mike Allen, associate principal of Chico High School. "We want to make sure that we're applying discipline fairly."

David McKay, principal of Academy for Change, Center for Alternative Learning, Oakdale Secondary and Fair View High School, said that the percentage of African American and Native American students expelled in CUSD is higher than the percentage of African American and Native American children actually attending the district's schools.

And the data from the California Department of Education Data Reporting Office aligns with this statement (see pie charts below).

In the 2011-2012 school year, Native American children made up 2 percent and African American children made up 3 percent of the students enrolled in the District. However, Native American students are 4 percent of students suspended and 8 percent of students expelled, while African American students are 10 percent of students suspended and 12 percent of students expelled.

This is in comparison to White students, who make up 64 percent of the students enrolled in the District, but only 60 percent of students suspended and 50 percent of students expelled.

The CRDC report published by the U.S. Department of Education reports similar findings related to its sample.

Given the data, it's apparent that districts across the nation, CUSD included, will have to take steps to understand how these practices are arising in order to combat them and make school discipline fair and unbiased.

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Local administrators speak out about discipline

California Education Code dictates certain inarguable consequences that administrators must provide when a student has committed severe actions, such as robbery, assault upon a school employee or possession of a knife. However, that does not mean that certain consequences cannot be dictated by individual schools and administrators: every school operates under its own discipline policy.

Here's what local administrators in public education had to say about their discipline philosophies and the state's most recent report of suspension and expulsion rates (see this post for details):

Laurie DeBock, assistant principal of Bidwell Jr. High School.

Laurie DeBock, assistant principal of Bidwell Jr. High School, said every child's situation has to be looked at individually to see what is going on and what consequence applies. The school operates from a progressive discipline model, implementing increasingly severe consequences only after a student has been given a chance to correct behavior and fails.

"I like to try to put in place the least amount of consequence that is going to solve the problem or prevent the problem from happening again," she said. "Most kids don't want to hurt someone else; they don't want to be hurt." 

Ted Sullivan, principal of Chapman Elementary School, said that one of the best ways to prevent discipline issues is to communicate clear expectations to students. For example, every class practices lining up and walking into its classroom and the cafeteria at the beginning of every school year. 

"When kids are not doing things the way we like, a lot of times they aren't clear on what we want them doing," he said. "We don't assume that kids know what we're saying at all."

David McKay, principal of continuation schools in CUSD. 

David McKay, principal of Academy for Change, Center for Alternative Learning, Oakdale Secondary and Fair View High School, said that state statistics unfairly examine all forms of suspension in the same report, discounting the striking difference between in-school suspensions, which provide access to counseling, a safe environment and help with school work, and out-of-school suspensions.

"We had nine kids last year out of all four (continuation) schools that were suspended in home. Nine out of 600. It's like a 2.9 percent suspension rate compared to 35 percent (reported by the state)," he said. "(In school suspensions), in the state's eyes, count the same as 'Go home, Johnny. Go smoke weed.'"

Mike Allen, an associate principal of Chico High School, said that suspension is one of the things the school doesn't like to do and is reserved for major offenses. The government will push for lower rates, but there has to be a balance.

"Suspension rates are tricky...because you're trying to maintain order in a school, and if you don't have consequences effective for behavior, then behavior will ramp up and even get out of control," he said. "The states will mandate lower rates, but do (they) not want us to suspend students for these offenses?"

Chico teacher addresses discipline at public middle school

Sue Campbell, teacher of architecture, food and textiles at Marsh Jr. High School in Chico, has worked with students with a variety of disabilities for 35 years, which has helped shape her personal discipline policy. 

In the 35 years that Sue Campbell has been a teacher, she’s worked with students with a range of disabilities, from physical, such as hearing or vision impairment, to emotional and social, such as autism.

"(Teachers are) always trying to have success with each kid," she said. "You’re always trying to find a way to reach that child."

Marsh Jr. High School, where Campbell teaches, houses programs for severely handicapped and emotionally disturbed students, along with the special education Resource Specialist Program. Campbell’s food, clothing and textiles and architecture classes are offered as electives, so she works with a broad range of students, in seventh and eighth grades, in any given class period.

The guidance policy published by the U.S. Department of Education in January included research from the Civil Rights Data Collection in the Office for Civil Rights. This research revealed that students covered under the IDEA Act are over twice as likely to receive one or more out-of-school suspensions.

Data from the California Department of Education for the 2012-2013 school year shows that Marsh Jr. High School has one of the highest suspension rates in the Chico Unified School District, with higher suspension and expulsion rates than the rates of the district, county and state. 

It is important to note however, that just because the rates at Marsh Jr. High are higher, doesn't mean that the suspensions are more frequent among disabled students. The school also has the lowest suspension rate out of the three middle schools in the district. 

Campbell said that it is not necessarily a campus or district discrimination issue when students of certain disabilities are getting expelled or suspended more than students who do not have learning disabilities.

"If you visit an Emotionally Disturbed classroom, (students are) emotionally disturbed. They can’t function the way an average kid is doing," Campbell said. "So there’s going to be a higher number of expulsions in that classroom just because of the kids you’re dealing with."

The best way that teachers can handle discipline when it comes to any student, especially students with learning disabilities, is to remain calm and express clear expectations, boundaries and consequences, Campbell said. 

“I have to be extremely clear, extremely structured and extremely organized,” she said. “That’s the way I have found to deal with special needs kids.”

Campbell said she doesn't see any child’s needs of greater importance than another's and tries to be fair in the way she disciplines children in her classroom. Discipline issues normally start at a smaller level first, such as talking to a student or meeting with a student's parents, before they escalate to a suspension or expulsion. 

"I see discipline as I really don’t want anyone to keep anyone from learning," she said. "What I try to accomplish is respect for all." 

Suspension and expulsion rates plague public education locally and nationally

Data from the California Department of Education indicates that Butte County has higher suspension and expulsion rates than the state average.

The following bar graphs include information from the California Department of Education's Suspension and Expulsion Report for 2012-2013. 

Butte County ranks 14 out of 58 counties in California for highest suspension rate.

It ranks seven out of 58 counties in California for highest expulsion rate. 

These rates are indicative of the issues facing discipline in public education not just in California but in the nation. 

Research from the U.S. Department of Education indicates an increase in suspensions and expulsions since the '70s and that these exclusionary practices are unfairly targeting students of certain races and students with disabilities. 

During the 2011 school year alone, more than 3 million public school students received out-of-school suspensions and over 100,000 students were expelled. And African-American students are over three times more likely than their White peers to be suspended or expelled. 

The Department of Education issued a guidance policy in January of this year to help schools combat these issues and improve school climate and engagement. 

With this new policy in place and the pressure from the federal government to crack down on the number of suspensions and expulsions, teachers and administrators will have to implement different disciplinary methods. 

It is a national issue that too many students are being dismissed from classes, whether it be through expulsions or suspensions, and missing out on the thing that they are supposed to be getting from school: an education. Another issue of concern is that students are being unfairly disciplined based upon race and disability.