Black students’ discipline cases disproportionate to population

African-American students made up less than one-third of the population at Gwinnett County Schools last school year, but account for nearly half of those facing disciplinary panels for bad behavior, according to a report released Thursday.

Of 1,910 discipline hearings held in 2007-08 to dole out long-term suspensions or expulsions to students, 931 of those were held for black students. About 18 percent or 345 discipline panels were held for white students.

Gwinnett County Schools officials said Thursday during a Board of Education workshop the “disproportionate” discipline of minority students is a concern for administrators, but it is a problem that is improving over time.

During the 2006-07 school year, 1,103 discipline panels were held for black students, 172 more than last school year.

“While the number of panels for this group has declined, there is still a disproportionate number of minority students going before a disciplinary panel,” said James Taylor, executive director of the department of academic support to school board members. “This is a challenge that school systems across the nation are facing.”

Citing a recent study about states and discipline, Taylor told the school board that only one state — Idaho — does not seem to be having problems with disproportionate discipline. He also said that family structure, schools, zero tolerance policies, socioeconomic factors and teachers play a role in discipline.

“Do they have any blacks in Idaho?” asked Superintendent J. Alvin Wilbanks. “They don’t have many.”

Wilbanks suggested in 2006 that a community task force be formed to examine the discipline issue. The group reviewed the school system’s discipline procedures to improve how punishments were dispensed. Principals also were given more guidance about handling incidents. A community liaison was later hired to work with parents concerned about the discipline of students.

“Our schools have begun to use [short term] suspension more instead of panels to address moderate rule violations,” Taylor said. “By keeping students in school we engage them in the instruction process.”

Taylor said that the majority of Gwinnett Schools students are well-behaved. Only 2.2 percent of black students and 1.5 percent of Hispanic students faced panels last year. The enrollment reached 156,000 students last school year and only 1.2 percent of them faced discipline panels.

The total number of discipline panels declined by 386 last school year. There were 2,296 in 2006-07.

“This is a good start, but it still shows that there is more work to be done,” said Marlyn Tillman, a leader with the Gwinnett County Parent Coalition To Dismantle The School to Prison Pipeline. “We can make a bigger difference if we start to think outside the box.”

Tillman said the school district could provide more cultural sensitivity training for administrators and initiate programs like positive intervention strategies for good behaviors.