New Law Would Track Race of Suspended Students

(NY) New Law Would Track Race of Suspended Students

CITY HALL — Officials worried that factors like race play a role in which students get suspended have proposed new legislation that would force public schools to report the race, ethnicity, gender and more of suspended students.

The legislation, which is set to be voted on next week, would also force schools to provide the same information on arrests and summonses issued by NYPD student safety officers. Data would be broken down by race, ethnicity, gender, student age, grade, as well as ESL enrollment and special education status.

"There are still too many situations reported by students, parents and advocates in which students are harassed or threatened in school, often by the people who are supposed to protect them," said Upper Manhattan City Councilman Robert Jackson, who heads the Council’s Education Committee and sponsored the bill.

At a City Council hearing Thursday, Jackson cited several incidents in which students had been arrested for minor infractions, such as writing on desks. He said that harsh punishments often breed tension between students and school officials, putting students at risk.


http://www.dnainfo.com/20101216/manhattan/race-of-suspended-students-would-be-reported-under-new-transparency-law#ixzz1AM5alfid