Bonamici Statement on New Report Establishing That School Discipline Practices Disproportionately Effect Students of Color
WASHINGTON, DC [04/06/18] – Today Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici, a leader on the House Education Committee, issued the following statement in response to a new report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) that confirms that students of color are disproportionately harmed by school discipline policies.
“Fifty years after the death of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the Government Accountability Office’s alarming report on widespread bias in school discipline shows that we still have more work to do to address civil rights in our country - particularly in our schools. According to the GAO report, black students, boys, and students with disabilities are disciplined at disproportionately high rates and black students are subject to harsher discipline than their white counterparts. Although 15.5 percent of all public school students are black, 39 percent of students suspended from school are black. This disproportionate discipline is unacceptable and unjust, and we must do better. As a mother and as a leader on the House Education and Workforce Committee, I will continue to fight for equity in our public education system.”
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