Duckworth, Murphy and Bennet Lead Call for Biden Administration to Address Discriminatory and Punitive Discipline Practices in Schools  

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Michael Bennet (D-CO) led nine of their Senate colleagues in calling on the Biden administration to address discriminatory and punitive school disciplinary measures. In a letter to U.S. Department of Education Secretary Miguel Cardona and Attorney General Merrick Garland, the Senators asked the U.S. Departments of Justice and Education to strengthen guidance on nondiscriminatory school discipline and advise schools to focus on restorative justice practices. Harsh discipline policies have led to a disproportionate number of suspensions and expulsions for students of color, LGBTQ students and students with disabilities.

“Exclusionary school policies do not work; they impede student success, with research showing that strict school discipline inhibits a student’s chance of attending an institution of higher education,” the Senators wrote. “Unfortunately, these policies have led to sharp increases in school expulsions and suspensions. Black and Hispanic students, American Indian and Alaska Native students, LGBTQ students, students with disabilities and English learners experience the brunt of the consequences, shuffling them into the school-to-prison pipeline, denying them an education, and limiting their future opportunities.”

Under the Obama administration the Department of Education issued guidance on school discipline that helped mitigate the criminalization of students – especially Black students – in the education system, but much of this guidance was withdrawn under the Trump administration. This letter calls on the current administration to:

• Strengthen the Obama administration’s previous guidance on the nondiscriminatory administration of school discipline;
• Encourage that schools revise their discipline policies to focus on restorative justice practices;
• Encourage schools to adopt sufficient and continuous training as they work on sustainable, alternative disciplinary practices; and
• Identify federal funding streams that may be used to provide students with school-based services to meet their social, emotional, and mental health needs by hiring mental health providers, such as school counselors, nurses, social workers and psychologists and utilizing restorative justice programs and other proven methods to address student health and wellbeing.

Apart from Duckworth, Murphy and Bennet, this letter is signed by Cory Booker (D-NJ), Tina Smith (D-MN), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Bob Casey (D-PA), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Alex Padilla (D-CA).

This letter request is supported by the National Education Association, American Federation of Teachers and Access Living.

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