Jan 23, 2025 Story by: Editor
Seventy percent of preschool suspensions in the Charleston County School District (CCSD) since August 2020 involved Black children, as per four years of data provided by the district.
Between the 2021 and 2024 school years, White children accounted for 24% of the 714 suspension incidents, while Latinx students made up nearly 5%, the data revealed.
Determining the race and gender of suspended students aged 3 to 5 years is challenging due to the way the data is reported. However, both school officials and an education advocacy group concur that Black children are disproportionately affected by suspensions due to behavioral issues.
Where they differ is in how the data should be interpreted and the reasons behind the higher suspension rate for Black students. For instance, the school district’s analysis included data for pre-kindergarteners (PK-3 and PK-4) but excluded kindergarteners. Additionally, there is no consensus on solutions to address the disparity.
Andy Pruitt, CCSD’s director of communications, acknowledged the issue, stating, “Educators are deeply concerned about the disparities in discipline and achievement data between students of color and their White peers. These inequities are unacceptable, and we are committed to taking meaningful, decisive action to address them.”
The suspension data was recently shared with the Beloved Early Education and Care (BEE) Collective, a Tri-county advocacy organization, and its research partner, Impact Stats, based in Buffalo, N.Y. The groups obtained the data through a Freedom of Information Act request.
Impact Stats’ analysis showed that suspension rates for Black children surged to 80% during the 2023-24 school year. Unlike the district’s analysis, Impact Stats included kindergarteners in its review.
The district, however, disputed these findings, arguing that Impact Stats employed a non-standard methodology that inflated disparities. According to Pruitt, the analysis focused on incidents rather than individual students, overlooking the fact that a small percentage of students were suspended multiple times.
Dr. Melodie Baker, president and CEO of Impact Stats, responded, stating that the district’s data only included information about gender, race, and incidents. “They did not provide enrollment data or details about the number of 3- to 5-year-old students who were suspended multiple times, so we couldn’t produce that information if we wanted to,” she said.
Pruitt defended the district’s approach, explaining, “The district has a well-established system for assigning consequences based on specific, well-defined student behaviors, which is laid out in the Progressive Discipline Plan.” He criticized the BEE Collective and Impact Stats for presenting an “inaccurate and distorted portrayal” of disciplinary data, which he said could “mislead the community, hinder collaboration efforts, and misrepresent the district’s significant progress toward equitable disciplinary practices.”
District data shows that suspensions spiked to 219 incidents involving 103 students during the 2023-24 school year. However, the data does not specify the race or gender of the students involved.
Meeting Postponed
Earlier this year, the BEE Collective and Impact Stats published a report titled “Facing a Broken System,” which accused the district of disproportionately suspending Black children compared to White students. The report, funded by the American Heart Association’s Voices for Kids initiative, outlined recommendations for policymakers, educators, and parents to reduce suspension rates.
On December 6, the district sent a four-page letter to Treva Williams, the BEE Collective’s campaign manager, demanding that the group “cease misrepresenting student data for questionable motives” or face legal action.
The district’s staff attorney, Lindsay Anne Thomas, wrote that the BEE Collective “attributes gaps in suspension rates to systemic, racist funding practices with very limited evidence.”
A planned meeting between the district and the BEE Collective was recently canceled by the district, according to Williams.
“Why does the district insist on using suspensions as a tactic to address behavioral problems when it clearly doesn’t work?” Williams asked in an interview. “I hope the district puts in as much energy into addressing their massive disparities as they do claiming we are sharing skewed data.”
Baker defended the methodology used by Impact Stats, saying, “As research scientists, we stand by our methodology, which is consistent with practices endorsed by the U.S. Department of Education and other reputable organizations. … Their statement lacks research support and citations, unlike our findings.”
She added that focusing solely on incidents rather than individual students distorts the analysis. “The concentration of suspensions among a small number of students can reflect systemic biases and highlight the need for targeted interventions,” she said.
Pruitt emphasized that suspensions are a last resort and only implemented when “all preventative measures and interventions have been exhausted, and a child’s actions pose a serious safety risk.”
He added, “We will continue to intentionally focus on providing all students with increased wrap-around services, community support, outreach, and family engagement to curb behaviors that lead to disciplinary measures. Recognizing the importance of maximizing classroom time for all children, CCSD has implemented intentional strategies to manage challenging behaviors and reduce reliance on disciplinary measures.” Source: Charleston City Paper
