Disproportionate Exclusionary Discipline
in Round Rock ISD

Students of color, particularly Black students and males, are disciplined disproportionately in Round Rock ISD public schools. Key findings show:

- Each year from 2005-06 to 2018-19 in RRISD, Black students received in-school suspensions at nearly two-and-a-half times the rate they comprised the total population

- While numbers of disciplinary actions have been declining in recent years, in 2018-19 there were 6,242 exclusionary discipline actions across the district, which is down from 8,983 in 2012-13

- Students in special education comprised 11% of the student population but made up 21% of the students referred to a DAEP in 2018-19

- Economically disadvantaged students comprise 32.1% of the student population but made up 65% of out-of-school suspensions and over 61% of in-school suspensions and DAEP actions in 2018-19.

In 2017, the Texas Legislature passed a measure to prohibit out-of-school suspensions of young students in pre-kindergarten through second grade except in extremely limited circumstances (like bringing a gun or drugs to school). Looking at the 2017-18 school year, Texans Care for Children reported the number of out-of-school suspensions in these grades declined by 79% (2019). However, the state continues to allow schools to issue in-school suspension to the youngest students. State data indicate that Texas schools disproportionately suspend pre-k through second grade students who are Black, male, in special education, or in foster care.

The state of Texas collects data on several types of disciplinary actions: in-school suspension, out-of-school suspension, referral to disciplinary alternative education programs (DAEP), referral to juvenile justice alternative education programs (JJAEP) and expulsion.

Following are highlights of Restore RRISD's findings.

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- Each year from 2007-08 to 2018-19, Black students received exclusionary action over two-and-a-half times the rate they comprised the total population.

- In 2018-19, Black students represented 10% of public school enrollment in RRISD, but 24.4% of students receiving exclusionary action

- In comparison, White students represented 38% of enrollment but 29% of students receiving exclusionary action. On average, 17.2% of Black students receive exclusionary action compared to 5.3% of White students

- Latino students represented 31% of enrollment and 38% of students receiving exclusionary actions. On average, 8.3% of Latino students received exclusionary action compared to 5.3% of White students.

There is no research to support that exclusionary discipline makes schools any safer. While ostensibly created to respond to issues where students are at risk of harm, most disciplinary actions in recent years involve minor offenses that do not affect safety.

What is indeed clear is the mounting amount of data on the disproportionality of discipline actions in schools. For example, as the Office for Civil Rights’ research shows, Black students are 3.8 times as likely to be subject to out-of-school suspension as White students. And they are 2.3 times as likely to be referred to law enforcement or subject to a school-related arrest than white students (U.S. Department of Education, 2016).

Exclusionary discipline is one of six school policies that lead to higher dropout rates. School systems and policymakers in Texas and the nation must ensure that the necessary reforms and actions be taken to provide equal education opportunity for every child in Texas regardless of race, color and gender.

Moving an entire school away from ineffective punitive discipline practices requires many shifts in culture, policy and practice. School and district teams must review data, examine and respond to inequities revealed by data, engage all adults, and support strong and authentic relationships between students and adults. See our article, “How Schools Can End Harmful Discipline Practices,” by Morgan Craven, J.D., Nilka Avilés, Ed.D., & Aurelio M. Montemayor, M.Ed.