The data analysis from the Youth Justice Project found that:
- Although out-of-school suspension is down, students are still too often removed from class for disciplinary reasons.
- Tens of thousands of young children were suspended last school year.
- Black students were more likely to be suspended than white students.
- There is not enough information about the impact of School Resource Officers.
While some individual schools and districts are taking steps to address the issues outlined in the report, the Youth Justice Project calls for immediate and bold action at the state level. The report outlines several policy recommendations that include:
- banning out-of-school suspensions for early grades,
- mandating data collection and reporting for school-based interactions with police, and;
- prioritizing racially equitable discipline policies.
Interactive report below: