Missouri Students Lose 780,000 Class Days to Suspensions in 2023

Since the pandemic, schools have intensified their disciplinary measures, leading to a sharp rise in suspensions and expulsions, particularly among Black students. In Missouri alone, students lost nearly 780,000 days of classroom time in 2023 due to suspensions, marking the highest toll in a decade.

A Decade of Slow Progress in School Discipline Reform

Ten years ago, the spotlight turned to racial disparities in school discipline amid a broader conversation on racial injustice. Despite the attention, significant change has been elusive.

Disparities in Discipline Persist

Black students continue to face higher rates of severe disciplinary actions, such as suspensions and expulsions, compared to their peers. These practices often result in students being removed from the classroom or transferred to alternative schools.

The Push for Racial Justice in Education

The movement for reform gained momentum alongside broader social justice efforts, particularly those inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement. Advocates and educators have focused on addressing the unequal treatment of Black students, which often starts with harsh disciplinary measures and inadequate funding in low-income schools.

The School-to-Prison Pipeline in Focus

This movement brought widespread attention to the concept of the “school-to-prison pipeline.” The idea is that students who are pushed out of school, either through expulsion or dropout, face a higher risk of ending up in the criminal justice system.

Reviewing the Data: Progress and Ongoing Challenges

Journalists from the Associated Press examined discipline data across several key states to assess the progress made over the past decade. The findings reveal that while there has been some improvement, significant disparities remain.

Missouri’s Mixed Results

In Missouri, the percentage of days Black students spent in suspension has decreased from 46% in 2013-2014 to 36% nine years later. However, these figures still far exceed their representation in the student population, which is about 15%.

California’s Decreasing but Disproportionate Rates

California has seen a decline in suspension rates for Black students, dropping from 13% in 2013 to 9% a decade later. Yet, this rate remains three times higher than that of white students.

Georgia’s Ongoing Disparities

In Georgia, Black students make up slightly more than a third of the student population. Despite this, they continue to represent the majority of those who face disciplinary actions that remove them from the classroom.

Post-Pandemic Discipline Tightens in Schools

Since the pandemic, some schools have adopted stricter disciplinary measures. Students removed from the classroom, whether through suspension or expulsion, face higher risks of repeated suspensions and disconnection from their peers, leading to poorer academic outcomes.

Stricter Policies Amid Rising Misbehavior

Despite the known drawbacks of exclusionary discipline, some schools and policymakers have intensified these practices since the pandemic. Calls for tougher discipline and increased police presence have resurfaced, driven by challenges in managing student behavior after extended school closures.

Missouri’s Alarming Suspension Rates

In Missouri, students missed nearly 780,000 days of class due to suspensions in 2023, marking the highest number in a decade. This significant loss of learning time highlights the ongoing reliance on harsh disciplinary measures.

Louisiana’s Widening Disparities

In Louisiana, Black students are twice as likely to be suspended as their white counterparts and face longer suspensions for the same infractions. A new law set to take effect this year recommends expulsion for middle- and high-school students after three suspensions in one school year, exacerbating the existing disparities.

Federal Discipline Guidelines: A Shifting Landscape

Federal guidelines aimed at reducing racial disparities in school discipline were first introduced during President Barack Obama’s administration in 2014.

These guidelines discouraged harsh disciplinary actions, urging schools to adopt restorative justice practices. However, these rules were rolled back under President Donald Trump, though data collection on discipline remains mandated by civil rights regulations.

Disparities Persist in Minnesota’s Discipline Practices

In Minnesota, the proportion of expulsions and suspensions involving Black students decreased from 40% in 2018 to 32% four years later. However, these numbers remain disproportionately high compared to Black students’ share of the overall population.

Legal Scrutiny and Subjective Punishments

The Minnesota Department of Human Rights took action in 2017, ordering numerous districts and charter schools to address their discriminatory discipline practices. Nearly 80% of disciplinary actions for subjective reasons, such as “disruptive behavior,” were disproportionately applied to students of color, raising concerns about fairness and equity.