A group of community members, organizations and local government representatives Tuesday offered six specific priorities aiming to eliminate what it considers exclusionary and unfair school disciplinary practices that foster a “school to prison pipeline.”
Using guidance developed by the U.S. Departments of Education and Justice - The Coalition for Fairness and Equity in Schools seeks to address the number of out-of-school suspensions in Delaware and concerns those suspensions disproportionately impact minority and special-needs students.
The recommendations call for more transparency, accountability, and independent oversight of disciplinary methods, in addition to corrective action plans and improved cultural competency for schools and improvements to family, community and student engagement.
ACLU of Delaware organizer Shannon Griffin believes the coalition has support in First State classrooms.
“I think this is something teachers are looking for," Griffin said. "They’re looking for additional support from the broader community. Administration in school buildings - they’re overwhelmed as well."
Griffin acknowledged the tough job of maintaining order in public schools, but feels the community has a role in how the schools hand out punishment.
"What we don’t want to get into is the blame game because there’s enough fingers to be pointed all the way around," she continued, "but we’re saying as a community ‘Let us be a part of the solution as well.’”
Wilmington Urban League CEO Deborah Wilson agrees and says the recommendations seek to eliminate culturally inconsistent discipline of students.
“We certainly want to be making sure there is order in the schools," Wilson insisted. "However, when the discretion is removed and when you have systems that will apply disciplinary action policies differently for different populations, you have a problem.”
Council members from both the City of Wilmington and New Castle County plan to introduce resolutions calling on school districts to enact the coalition’s recommendations.
Coalition for Fairness & Equity in Schools Recommendations
PRIORITY 1
Request public annual release of discipline data for each district and school, including disaggregated data, types of offenses, data by grade level and length of time for ISS and OSS.
Purpose: Provide transparency for greater accountability and targeted interventions.
PRIORITY 2
Create district level community-based advisory committees to annually review discipline policies and data, and provide recommendations that promote equity and restorative
Purpose: Identify resources and provide independent oversight, greater accountability and
PRIORITY 3
Create school level teams (school staff, parents, community advocates, and student representatives) in schools with excessive or disparate discipline rates.
Purpose: Develop corrective action plans and implementation oversight.
PRIORITY 4
Increase professional development opportunities for school personnel focused on cultural competency, classroom management, trauma-informed interventions and asset development, including a follow-up component to monitor effectiveness.
Purpose: Improve cultural competency among school staff and provide additional research-based strategies that positively impact school climate.
PRIORITY 5
Provide advocacy training to families in various venues that include topics such as school codes of conduct, asset development, cultural competency and leadership opportunities sponsored by school districts.
Purpose: Help educate families to engage with school staff and support learning at home in partnership with community/social service agencies.
PRIORITY 6
Create student-led councils to provide input and leadership that support positive behavior.
Purpose: Increase opportunities to engage students in the process and provide opportunities to develop leadership skills.