Biased Disciplinary Policies Create 'School-To-Prison Pipeline' In Missouri Schools

ST. LOUIS, MO — Even 60 years after Brown v. Board of Education, the landmark Supreme Court ruling that struck down segregated schools, Missouri is struggling to ensure children across the state are provided equal access to education. Black children and children with disabilities routinely face harsher, more frequent discipline at school than their peers, amounting to de facto segregation in the classroom, according to a new report released last week by the American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri. Disproportionate suspensions, expulsions, and referrals to law enforcement create a "school-to-prison pipeline" for minority students, the authors say:

The toxic combination of missed class time and lowered self-esteem creates a damaging cycle that results in classroom disengagement and higher dropout rates. The consequences extend far beyond the classroom, perpetuating cycles of poverty, low-education attainment, and structural inequalities that span generations.

The U.S. Department of Education has previously found black youth are suspended three to four times as often as their white peers nationwide, and the ACLU confirms that Missouri schools are no exception to this trend. The report also found that black students with disabilities were more likely to be suspended than white students with disabilities. The worst findings came for black girls, who were suspended at six times the rate of their white peers.

The report blames both implicit bias on the part of teachers and school administrators, and school policies that have disparate impacts on minority students, despite ostensibly being racially neutral. An example cited is a ban on loose-fitting clothing.

The report makes several recommendations. For legislators and law enforcement, these include eliminating zero-tolerance policies, extending Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable searches to students, and making arrests a last resort.

For teachers and administrators, the report recommends eliminating school policies that punish vague infractions, such as "defiance," and doing away with out-of-school suspensions and expulsions.

Parents and students themselves are advised to learn about their rights, carefully review schools' disciplinary policies, and discuss those policies with educators.

"This is a very important conversation...one that is long overdue," said University City Schools superintendent Sharonica Hardin-Bentley, speaking at an ACLU press conference.

Hardin-Bentley, who has a doctorate in educational leadership and policy studies, hopes the concrete evidence offered in the report will raise awareness of this issue and spur schools to action. "We must think differently about student discipline."

St. Louis Public Schools banned suspensions for younger students last year. Maplewood-Richmond Heights did so beginning in August, and other area schools are following suit.

Read the Missouri ACLU's full report.

Photo by Amanda Mills/CDC