Washington state’s Office of superintendent of Public Instruction has updated its standards on student discipline for the first time in 40 years.
The state adopted new rules July 30 aimed at cutting down on suspensions and expulsions.
“Every day students are suspended or expelled is a day their education is disrupted,” Chris Reykdal, superintendent of public instruction, said in a statement.. “The new rules will minimize that disruption.”
Reykdal said schools should make suspensions and expulsions the last resort, because these disciplinary actions were disproportionately higher for students of color. In the 2016-17 school year, 3.5 percent of Washington state students were expelled or suspended. However, 7.4 percent of black students and 4.1 percent of Latino students faced that discipline.
The new standards also prohibit schools from excluding kids for tardiness, expelling kids in Kindergarten through fourth-grade, and limits discipline for behaviors that don’t pose a threat to school safety. It also requires schools give expelled or suspended students access to educational services.
Changes will be phased in to schools over the next two years.
