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* From a state law passed in 2014…
On or before October 31, 2015 and on or before October 31 of each subsequent year, the State Board of Education, through the State Superintendent of Education, shall prepare a report on student discipline in all school districts in this State, including State-authorized charter schools. This report shall include data from all public schools within school districts, including district-authorized charter schools. This report must be posted on the Internet website of the State Board of Education. The report shall include data on the issuance of out-of-school suspensions, expulsions, and removals to alternative settings in lieu of another disciplinary action, disaggregated by race and ethnicity, gender, age, grade level, limited English proficiency, incident type, and discipline duration. [Emphasis added.]
Last summer, several women gathered at Delia Barajas’ home. As part of the community group Ixchel, they tackle education issues like school discipline in the mostly Hispanic communities of Cicero and Berwyn.
But as the women searched the Illinois State Board of Education’s website for data about how students in their area had been disciplined, they hit a wall. They found the race and ethnicity of students who’d been disciplined in their local districts had been redacted. […]
State officials say they have to redact race and ethnicity data to comply with federal and state requirements about protecting student privacy. They’ve decided that to do that, they won’t reveal any student groups that are smaller than 10 — a common practice in government reports. But Illinois officials say they also have to remove data on student groups much larger than 10 to protect the identity of students in smaller groups. As a result, few school districts have any race or ethnicity data.
Here’s how that looks in practice: Say a school district gave out 309 suspensions and 100 went to black children, 100 went to Hispanic children, 100 went to white children and nine went to multiracial children. State officials have redacted all of the race and ethnicity data in their reports to protect the nine multiracial students. They say a “reasonable person” could look at the total, do the math and identify individual students.
The state refused to supply the data to the Chicago Reporter, but Loyola University Chicago clinical law professor Miranda Johnson “managed to pry loose some of the state’s discipline data for black, white and Hispanic students,” according to the article.
This is what they found…
* Companion article from the Chicago Reporter…
Four years ago, Illinois passed the first in a series of discipline reforms meant to reduce student suspensions and expulsions from public schools.
The law tasks state officials with two responsibilities: Make school discipline data available to the public, and require districts with the consistently highest suspension and expulsion rates to improve.
At the time, there was national momentum to address discipline disparities, especially for black students, who are suspended and expelled from school far more often than their white classmates. In 2014, the Obama administration issued guidance to reduce discipline that removes students from class and interrupts their learning. Advocates and lawmakers knew Illinois needed to make drastic changes after a 2012 report by The Civil Rights Project at UCLA found the state’s suspension rate for black students was the highest in the nation.
But the 2014 law hasn’t had the outcomes legislators intended. The Illinois State Board of Education redacts the race and ethnicity of nearly all students who’ve been suspended or expelled, so parents and school communities can’t see what’s happening in their local districts. On top of that, the state board hasn’t required districts with the consistently highest suspension and expulsion rates to make any changes. [Emphasis added.]
Sheesh.
* Sen. Kimberly Lightford has a bill sitting on the governor’s desk which would clarify the law for the state board…
With respect to school discipline improvement plans, makes changes to how the State Board of Education determines the top 20% of school districts, when notification is given that a plan must be submitted, which school districts are required to submit a plan, the timeframe for school board approval of a plan and submission of that plan to the State Board, and when additional annual progress reports are required
posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Jul 19, 18 @ 1:36 pm
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Without income data, this won’t provide accurate data. Based on experience, the expulsion rate (and other bevioral issues) for poor whites is much higher than middle-class / upper-class whites.
Comment by Smitty Irving Thursday, Jul 19, 18 @ 1:55 pm
Ignoring the reporting regulations is one thing but just because a group has higher numbers doesn’t mean the process is flawed. It may mean that there are other variables at play in student behavior. Unless you subscribe to the theory that there is a vast conspiracy to expel minorities.
Comment by NeverPoliticallyCorrect Thursday, Jul 19, 18 @ 2:03 pm
Whites and Blacks each make up 31% of the total enrollment, but Blacks equal 65% of the suspensions compared to 15% of White students who are suspended. That’s alarming.
Comment by 47th Ward Thursday, Jul 19, 18 @ 2:04 pm
Did anyone else notice that the suspension rate for Hispanic students is slightly lower than the rate for white students after correcting for % of population? Would also like to see the rate for Asian students, and agree that without correlating with income, doesn’t tell us as much as it could. Still, this is not good news for young black people who in an ideal world would be competitive for the same jobs and careers as their peers once they leave the education system.
Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Thursday, Jul 19, 18 @ 2:18 pm
There are sometimes problems that are beyond the power of the schools to address. One racial group having higher suspension rates does not necessarily indicate discrimination.
Comment by DuPage Thursday, Jul 19, 18 @ 2:26 pm
Sen. Lightford also has a bill (HB4208) waiting for the Governor’s signature that would create a (subject to appropriation) grant program to help schools with a high discipline rate fund more school social workers and restorative justice programs.
Comment by Kyle Hillman Thursday, Jul 19, 18 @ 3:00 pm
“Unless you subscribe to the theory that there is a vast conspiracy to expel minorities.”
You mean like generations of institutional racism? Nah…
Comment by Change Agent Thursday, Jul 19, 18 @ 5:37 pm
It seems to me that if you want to prove disparity, you need to address differences across race for same or similar offenses.
“…especially for black students, who are suspended and expelled from school far more often than their white classmates FOR SIMILAR OR SAME INCIDENTS OR TRANSGRESSIONS.”
Comment by Anon Thursday, Jul 19, 18 @ 6:18 pm
What about economics, what about behavior, this doesn’t “prove disparity” (yes it literally does), this “does not necessarily indicate discrimination” (so?)
What a worthwhile way for adults to spend their time, every time. Whine about the data people can’t get the state to release does NOT show. No need to put forth your own info or shut up. It’s just children being denied days of school, after all, nothing that affects society. /s
Comment by crazybleedingheart Friday, Jul 20, 18 @ 5:45 am