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The Impact of School Discipline on Students Social Emotional and Academic Development

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The Impact of School Discipline on Students Social Emotional and Academic Development

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"Practices, such as hardening measures (e.g., metal detectors and school police) and exclusionary discipline (e.g., suspensions and expulsions), create academic and psychological harm and have been linked to the school-to-prison pipeline."

Students who are disproportionately involved in the pipeline are students of color, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students, and students with learning disabilities or histories of poverty, abuse, or neglect.

Often, these students would benefit from additional educational and counseling services. Instead, they are isolated, punished, and pushed out.

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What Is School Discipline?

Last year, Mississippi schools used corporal punishment 4,300 times - and the impact affects more than the students experiencing the abuse. According to one parent in Madison County School District, her son's perception of safety in school changed after seeing another student get paddled in his classroom. This is a prime example of harsh school discipline practices, which can harm students' social, emotional, academic, and in some cases, physical health. These practices must be reformed.

"To create physically safe and emotionally supportive environments for all students, schools must adopt evidence-based approaches such as restorative justice that can be used to build and repair relationships while also holding students accountable for their actions"

In general, school discipline refers to the rules and strategies applied in school to manage student behavior and support students in developing self-management skills. Informed by national, state, and local laws, school discipline encompasses a wide range of policies and practices - from those that are positive and evidence-based in supporting holistic development, such as restorative justice and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS); to practices that are most harmful, including discriminatory codes of conduct, expulsions and in- and out-of-school suspensions, corporal punishment, seclusion, restraint, and other punitive and exclusionary measures.

School discipline policies are broadly intended to foster a high-quality learning environment by maintaining safety in the classroom; however, far too often, schools adopt measures that harm a student's social, emotional, academic, and in some cases, physical health and well-being.

To create physically safe and emotionally supportive environments for all students, schools must adopt evidence-based approaches such as restorative justice that can be used to build and repair relationships while also holding students accountable for their actions. When positive discipline policies and practices use a race-equity lens and are fairly implemented, these efforts can not only create safe and inclusive learning environments, but also support students' holistic development.

The Impact of School Discipline

School discipline policies and practices are a critical part of creating a school's overall climate. Choosing harmful practices can result in short and long-term negative impacts on students' social, emotional, and academic development (SEAD), whereas other, evidence-based practices can support a students' holistic development and well-being.

Although the rules may be intended to be applied equally regardless of a student's race, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, disability status, or other personal characteristic, harmful school discipline policies are often disproportionately used on underserved students, particularly students of color and students with disabilities. Harsh discipline practices, such as corporal punishment, restraint, and seclusion can result in serious and life-threatening physical injuries. These and other practices, such as hardening measures (e.g., metal detectors and school police) and exclusionary discipline (e.g., suspensions and expulsions), create even more academic and psychological harms and have been linked to the school-to-prison pipeline.

While districts and schools are supposed to reserve these various school discipline policies for serious offenses, many also employ these measures for minor and subjective infractions, including dress and hair code violations , talking in class, truancy, tardiness, "willful defiance," and more. In many instances, students of color and students with disabilities are targeted for these minor offenses in ways that attack their cultural identity and strip them of their rights to a safe, healthy, and inclusive learning environment.

Improving School Discipline Beyond Covid-19

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to take a toll on students' mental health and well-being. The National Center for Education Statistics found that 56% of school leaders said the pandemic led to increased classroom disruptions from student misbehavior. And 48% said it led to more acts of disrespect toward teachers and staff.

Even though school leaders have reported a dramatic uptick in students "acting out," it is not without valid reasons. Whether it's the devastating impact of losing a loved one, or the disruptions to routines, relationships, and learning environment due to months-long quarantines, the pandemic resulted in economic and health challenges, increased stress, social isolation, and anxiety for students. It's no surprise the COVID-19 pandemic deeply affected student behavior in school.

As demonstrate , school staff has had increasing challenges with responding to student behavior. While stricter school discipline policies are broadly intended to foster a safe and manageable learning environment, discipline is far too often used in ways that further harm students' social, emotional, academic, and in some cases, physical and mental health and well-being.

How to Evaluate a State's School Discipline Policies

School discipline practices are determined by policies at all levels - federal, state, district, school, and even in individual classrooms. State leaders can have strong influence in how districts adopt and implement school discipline practices and policies by:

Creating clear goals

Adopting evidence-based guidance and policies

Publicly reporting discipline data

In 2022, building on Ed Trust's 2020 seminal titled, Social, Emotional, and Academic Development Through and Equity Lens, in partnership with CASEL, Ed Trust released Is Your State Prioritizing Social, Emotional, and Academic Development? , a 50-state scan that shows how states support the social, emotional, and academic needs of students in their discipline policies, as well as four other key policy areas:

Professional development

Rigorous and culturally sustaining curriculum

Student, family, and community engagement

Wraparound services

Educators, advocates, and policymakers at all levels of government can use the 50-state scan to evaluate how their state's school discipline policies compare to other states in holistically creating safe, supportive, and inclusive environments for students.

Implementing Fair and Positive Discipline at the Local Level

A crucial part of implementing positive discipline practices with fidelity is ensuring all adults in schools and districts develop a race equity lens with which to implement those skills. A long history of research in school discipline shows that disproportionate disciplinary outcomes for students of color are not due to differential rates of behavior, and that the role of discrimination and bias in discipline outcomes must be taken seriously. Furthermore, research shows that using an approach that is racially and culturally conscious is the key to addressing disparities in discipline. A race-equity approach should therefore be embedded in all actions districts take to address discipline policies and practices.

For actionable guidance, district leaders can use the toolkit from the Alliance for Resource Equity (ARE), a partnership between Ed Trust and Education Resource Strategies. ARE has developed a series of tools and guidebooks that outline specific actions to create a more equitable student experience, starting with a diagnostic tool that identifies areas for growth in a district's current policies and practices. Then, district leaders can then reference the guidebook on creating a positive and inviting school climate that demonstrates how to further these goals. In particular, district leaders should consider the following key question in the ARE diagnostic tool and guidebook:

Does each student experience a safe school with transparent, culturally sensitive, and consistently enforced rules and discipline policies?

Decisions at the local level can ensure that state and federal discipline policies are implemented with fidelity or can even go beyond current policies by utilizing better or more evidence-based practices. District leaders have the power to set equity-focused policies and develop educator capacity for implementing positive discipline practices. These actions can create positive and inviting school climates where students feel safe and are held accountable for their actions in ways that best support their social, emotional, and academic development.

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How School Discipline Impacts Students' Social, Emotional and, Academic Development (SEAD) - The Education Trust

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Last year, Mississippi schools used corporal punishment 4,300 times - and the impact affects more than the students experiencing...

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"Schools must reject the one-size-fits-all prearranged set of sanctions laid out in zero tolerance policies and instead promote discipline policies that provide individualized assessments and interventions that are appropriate to ensure a safe learning environment."

Schools that utilize suspensions should ensure suspensions are for the shortest possible duration. Suspended students should be given schoolwork and the opportunity to remain current with their educational program."

"Schools must provide youth and parents with the opportunity to be heard and proactively engage them in the disciplinary process.  Youth and parents must be kept informed of the status of the disciplinary process and given a meaningful and timely opportunity to appeal."

"In general, suspensions, expulsions, or other changes in placement should not be imposed on special education students for misconduct that is related to a student’s disability.  A change in placement for special education students can be made only after a manifestation determination review and proper compliance with federal laws and regulations requiring a Functional Behavioral Assessment, Positive Behavioral Supports, and a Behavioral Intervention Plan"

"Schools must work to identify any racial, ethnic, or other disparities currently present in disciplinary action and to prevent any disparate racial or ethnic impact."

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Safe and Effective School Disciplinary Policies and Practices: a Policy Platform

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50- State Comparison: What may a student be suspended or expelled for?

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50- State Comparison: What may a student be suspended or expelled for?

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"At least 32 states and the District of Columbia allow suspension or expulsion for defiant or disruptive behavior. At least 10 states allow suspension or expulsion for robbery/theft, destruction of property, and physical harm/threat of physical harm. At least five states allow suspension or expulsion for bullying, profanity/vulgarity, inappropriate use of technology, membership in a fraternity/sorority/secret organization, and vandalism."

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State Guidance for New Laws on Discipline

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State Guidance for New Laws on Discipline

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Research has established that systemwide implementation of the following practices: Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS), positive behavior intervention systems, implicit bias training, restorative practices, and engaging academics- will lead to improved academic outcomes and long-term postsecondary success for all students, particularly our highest-need students.

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Dear County and District Superintendents and Charter School Administrators:

We are writing to you today regarding the implementation of new laws regarding disciplinary practices, consistent with our shared view that all students-particularly African American students and others overrepresented in suspension statistics-deserve a school environment that fosters their social-emotional well-being and academic success.

As we now know, suspension can do more harm than good. Sending a student home from school does not address the root cause of a student's behavior; it removes students from the learning environment; and it has a disproportionate impact on African American students and students with disabilities, among other marginalized groups that are underperforming academically and overrepresented in our criminal justice system. Legislation in recent years, reflecting extensive research, has sought to minimize the use and impact of suspension. The state's new accountability system reports suspensions and incentivizes minimizing the use of punitive discipline. With this guidance, we update the field about recent legislative changes and suggest alternatives to suspension and other punitive practices. Great work is happening in this area, and we applaud your leadership in dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline through the implementation of Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS), positive behavior intervention systems, implicit bias training, restorative practices, and engaging academics. Research has established that systemwide implementation of these practices will lead to improved academic outcomes and long-term postsecondary success for all students, particularly our highest-need students.

State Law and Suspension

Recent legislation was enacted to prevent students from losing learning opportunities for disciplinary reasons.

Ending Suspensions for Willful Defiance in Grades Kindergarten Through Eight: In 2013, the Legislature approved Assembly Bill 420, which prohibited suspensions on willful defiance or disruption grounds for students in grades kindergarten through three. According to data collected by the California Department of Education (CDE), suspensions for willful defiance significantly decreased upon passage of this measure. In 2019, the Legislature extended this prohibition to students in grades four through eight through Senate Bill 419 (https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200SB419). Research indicates that students of color; students with disabilities; and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual students are more likely to be suspended for low-level subjective offenses such as willful defiance. We support the goals of this legislation and have included the resources below to support implementation of school-wide and district-/county-wide policies to better support students facing social-emotional and academic struggles.

Homework for Students Suspended for Two or More Days: Assembly Bill 982 (https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200AB982), also enacted in 2019, requires local educational agencies (LEAs), including charters, to provide homework assignments to students upon the request of the parent, guardian, or student during a suspension of two or more school days.

In recent years there have been other statutory provisions designed to limit the use of suspensions and promote alternatives to suspension. These provisions aim to address the root causes of the student's behavior and to improve academic outcomes:

Minimize Suspension for Attendance Issues: California Education Code (EC) Section 48900(w)(1) states that it is the intent of the Legislature that alternatives to suspension or expulsion be imposed against a pupil who is truant, tardy, or otherwise absent from school activities.

Instead of Suspension, Support: EC Section 48900(v) provides that a superintendent of the school district or principal is encouraged to provide alternatives to suspension or expulsion, using a research-based framework with strategies that improve behavioral and academic outcomes, that are age-appropriate and designed to address and correct the pupil's specific misbehavior as specified in EC Section 48900.5.

EC Section 48900(w)(2) adds that the MTSS, which includes restorative justice practices, trauma-informed practices, social and emotional learning, and schoolwide positive behavior interventions and support, may be used to help students gain critical social and emotional skills, receive support to help transform trauma-related responses, understand the impact of their actions, and develop meaningful methods for repairing harm to the school community.

Suspension as a Last Resort: And finally, EC Section 48900.5 provides that, except for specified exceptions, suspension, including supervised suspension, shall be imposed only when other means of correction fail to bring about proper conduct, and then continues to provide an extensive list of suggested positive, non-exclusionary alternative practices. Other means of correction may include additional academic supports, to ensure, for example, that instruction is academically appropriate, culturally relevant, and engaging for students at different academic levels and with diverse backgrounds.

Replacing Suspension with Support

Collectively, we must do more to reverse the reality that our most vulnerable students are disproportionately removed from their classes. Research on student engagement, academic success, dropout, and graduation rates has shown the need to replace punitive discipline practices with targeted student supports such as those referenced in state law above. The CDE and California's System of Support are your partners in establishing and strengthening LEA and school-level networks of support. Key resources include the following:

The CDE Behavioral Intervention Strategies and Supports web page at https://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/ss/se/behaviorialintervention.asp outlines where LEAs and schools can learn about Fix School Discipline, suspension data on Dataquest and the California School Dashboard, and Restorative Justice programs. These practices and policies that many schools and districts are putting in place to address discipline issues proactively support students whose behaviors may signify a call for help.

The CDE MTSS web page at https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/cr/ri/ provides a research-proven framework aligned to address students' academic, behavior, and social success. It brings together the Response to Instruction and Intervention and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports to support the whole child through a data-driven tiered approach to academic and social emotional supports. An MTSS approach can ensure instruction and interventions meet student needs, to address the reality that African American students and students with disabilities-two of the groups most often suspended-have lower literacy and math scores than other ethnic groups and students without disabilities.

There are also resources on the CDE Mental Health web page at https://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/cg/mh/index.asp, which includes strategies, resources, and training in psychological and mental health issues, including coping with tragedy, crisis intervention and prevention, school psychology, and suicide prevention.

The CDE Attendance Improvement web page at https://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/ai/ provides resources to address attendance improvement through prevention, early identification, and intervention instead of using punitive discipline.

The CDE Asset-Based Pedagogies web page at https://www.cde.ca.gov/pd/ee/assetbasedpedagogies.asp has resources on culturally relevant and sustaining pedagogies, which focus on the strengths that diverse students bring to the classroom and school community. These approaches engage all learners through curriculum that connects to students' cultural and linguistic identities. Asset-Based Pedagogy is also a key feature in California's State Literacy Plan, and aligned literacy resources are available on the California Educators Together web page at https://www.caeducatorstogether.org/groups/comprehensive-literacy-state-development-grant-resource-repository.

Addressing bias of educators is an important piece of the puzzle. In 2019-20, African American students made up 5.4 percent of public school students in California but comprised 15 percent of students who were suspended. Evidence shows that this is not because of worse behavior, but because of harsher treatment for minor offenses such as talking in class and other nonviolent behavior. LEAs are encouraged to invest in implicit bias training for their educator workforce: https://www.cde.ca.gov/nr/ne/yr20/yr20rel77.asp.

Data-Driven Continuous Improvement to Strengthen Supports

Our state's focus on equity means addressing students' holistic needs, whether they are struggling with trauma, disability, or the effects of socio-economic disadvantage. Since the passage of the Local Control Funding Formula, the state has engaged in the data-driven continuous improvement process, with actions to address student needs informed by robust stakeholder input and thorough root-cause analysis. Tackling suspensions is part of this framework, with suspension data reported in the California School Dashboard and school climate as one of the eight state priorities. Every year, school and district communities should consult their suspension data and analyze the underlying causes and adjust programming as needed to better support students, especially students of color disproportionately impacted by unneeded suspensions. Our partners at the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE) are also resources in the System of Support. The CCEE website is available at https://ccee-ca.org/.

CDE resources include the following:

The CDE Local Control Accountability Plan web page at https://www.cde.ca.gov/re/lc/ includes references to the eight state priorities, the continuous improvement process, stakeholder engagement, and the whole child resource map.

Particularly as we grapple with the immediate and post-pandemic effects of COVID-19, students and families face unprecedented challenges that will inevitably affect students' stress levels, behaviors, and their ability to participate in school. Like suspensions, these challenges fall disproportionately on students of color and other marginalized groups. Separate and apart from the pandemic, our communities are crying out for support and education, not suspension. In this moment of extraordinary need, the most successful schools will partner with communities to better understand and support students' mental and physical health needs so they are able to engage in accelerated learning at school.

Systemic and targeted approaches can help realize our shared goals of making equity real.

If you have any questions regarding suspensions and how to minimize reliance on this disciplinary tool, please contact Dan Sackheim, Education Programs Consultant, Educational Options Office, by phone at 916-445-5595 or by email at dsackheim@cde.ca.gov.

Sincerely,

Tony Thurmond
State Superintendent of Public Instruction
California Department of Education

Linda Darling-Hammond
President
California State Board of Education

TT/LDH:ds

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State Guidance for New Laws on Discipline

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Dear County and District Superintendents and Charter School Administrators: We are writing to you today regarding the implementation of new laws regarding disciplinary practices, consistent with our shared view that all students-particularly African American students and others overrepresented in suspension statistics-deserve a school environment that fosters their social-emotional well-being and academic success.

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"Students CANNOT be punished for behavior that is a direct result of their disability. If a student with a disability is disciplined, they have the right to tell their side of the story and other rights to defend themselves."

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Learn more about the rights of students and families with regard to school discipline.

What is school discipline?

School discipline is how a school responds to student behavior, such as:

In-school detention

Student behavior contracts

Loss of privileges

Suspensions

Expulsions

Transfers to a different school or a county-run school

When can a school discipline a student?

Students may only be suspended or expelled for something listed in the Education Code. In general, the school must first try to change the student's behavior another way, like:

Student/parent conference

Referral for an evaluation of an unidentified disability

Referral for counseling

Anger management

Community service

After-school programs

What if a school says a student can avoid discipline by moving to an alternative school?

If a student is being pressured to transfer to an alternative school, the student and parent have rights. They should talk with an attorney before agreeing to a transfer or signing any documents or waivers.

What is a Suspension?

A suspension is a temporary removal from school.

A student CANNOT be suspended from more than 5 consecutive school days.

A student CANNOT be suspended for more than 20 total school days in any given school year.

What is an Expulsion?

Removal from all schools in a District for a maximum of one school year.

Can a student be disciplined for absences?

No, a student CANNOT be suspended or expelled for being absent. Parents/guardians have the right to challenge the content of any student record including attendance.

What can I do when a student is recommended for expulsion?

Request all the student's records

Speak to your child and make sure they are included

If you are invited to a meeting by the school district, ask what type of meeting it will be

Consider talking with an attorney, a community advocate, or other support person

What are a student's rights in expulsion cases?

The student has a right to a hearing within 30 days of the incident.

If English is not your main language, you have a right to an interpreter and translation of documents.

You have the right to record expulsion proceedings.

You have the right to have an attorney or a community advocate.

You have the right to present, inspect and question evidence at the hearing.

The school must send written notice of the expulsion to the student and parent, with information about classes that will be provided to the student during expulsion and when/how the student can return to regular class.

Students with Disabilities

Students CANNOT be punished for behavior that is a direct result of their disability. If a student with a disability is disciplined, they have the right to tell their side of the story and other rights to defend themselves.

What if I disagree with a discipline decision?

Suspension: If you disagree with a suspension, write a letter to the Superintendent saying why you disagree and what you want the school to do instead. If your district has other rules for appealing a suspension, follow those rules.

Expulsion: A student has the right to appeal to the County Board of Education.

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Learn more about the rights of students and families with regard to school discipline.