Exclusive: Watchdog finds Black girls face more frequent, severe discipline in school

Sep 19, 2024 Story by: Editor

Black girls in public schools face disproportionately higher and more severe disciplinary actions compared to their peers from other racial backgrounds, according to a new report by a congressional watchdog, set to be released Thursday.

The report, which was exclusively shared with NPR, took nearly 18 months to compile. It was initiated following a request by several Democratic lawmakers, including Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and later Connecticut Rep. Rosa DeLauro, who asked the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to investigate.

The findings provide an unprecedented look into the stark disciplinary disparities Black girls encounter in U.S. public schools—often for behaviors similar to those of other students.

The GAO report revealed that in K-12 public schools, Black girls experienced the highest rates of “exclusionary discipline,” which includes suspensions and expulsions. During the 2017-18 school year, Black girls made up nearly half of these disciplinary actions, despite accounting for only 15% of the female student population.

Specifically, Black girls were responsible for 45% of out-of-school suspensions, 37% of in-school suspensions, and 43% of expulsions, often for offenses such as “defiance, disrespect, and disruption.” Nationally, they received such punishments at rates 3 to 5.2 times higher than their white counterparts. For Black girls with disabilities, the disciplinary rates were even more pronounced.

“This new report is damning. It confirms what we’ve always known—that Black girls are facing a crisis of criminalization in our schools,” said Rep. Pressley. “The only way to address this crisis is through intentional, trauma-informed policy, and Congress must act.”

According to Pressley’s office, this is the first report to analyze underlying infraction data contributing to these discipline disparities. The GAO identified several factors linked to the increased disciplinary measures, including school poverty levels, the percentage of girls with disabilities, the number of new teachers, and the presence of school resource officers.

Pressley emphasized that racism, colorism, and biases like “adultification”—perceiving Black girls as more mature than their peers—play significant roles in the harsher punishments they receive.

Pressley and other female members of Congress are expected to present the findings on Thursday.

“I hope that, because of these important findings, schools across the country and policymakers at every level of government will reconsider exclusionary discipline policies that disproportionately harm Black girls,” said Rep. DeLauro, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee.  Source: NPR