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March 6, 2012

Black Students Face Much Harsher Punishments in Public Schools 
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New data show black students face far harsher punishments in public
schools than their white peers. Data released by the U.S. Department of
Education show that while black students constituted only 18 percent of
those enrolled in sample schools, they accounted for 39 percent of all
school expulsions. Black students were three and a half times as likely
overall to be suspended or expelled than white students. School reports
also showed that more than 70 percent of students involved in
school-related arrests or referred to local law enforcement were black
or Latino. Students of color with disabilities were also
disproportionately subjected to physical restraints.



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