Civil Rights Impact of Disparate and Exclusionary School Disciplinary Policies & Practices in West Virginia Public Schools

Over the years, a number of articles, reports, and studies by federal and state government entities, as well as other researchers, scholars, advocacy and think tanks have concluded that, too often, public school students of color, students with disabilities and LGBTQ+ students experience disciplinary decisions and exclusions that are more harsh and more frequent that their white counterparts.

Last year, the WV Committee heard testimony from national experts who agreed that disparate school disciplinary policies and practices should be eliminated and/or reduced. However, they may have had different views on the causes and remedies. Indeed, a July 2022 report on school discipline issued by the West Virginia Department of Education to the WV Legislature found similar disparities, including those based on students’ socio-economic status; see, https://tinyurl.com/5bxtt2mv.

Starting in January 2023, additional two-hour virtual panel briefings from experts with WV-specific data and information will be scheduled. The dates, times, and list of experts, including individuals who can share their personal school disciplinary experiences in WV public schools, will be announced in the Federal Register and at www.usccr.gov.

Commenting on the December 13th Virtual Panel Briefing, WV Committee Chair Lisa K. Younis said:

I think there is general agreement that school decorum is important. However, a fascinating
issue that will be explored, in more detail at next week’s briefing, is whether and how best
WV public school officials should also consider the impact that prior statement(s) and
behavior(s) by other student(s) and/or school staff, including teachers, may influence or
impact the action(s) of the student facing disciplinary review.

Immediately after the Chair announces that the virtual panel has concluded, she will invite members of the public attending the meeting, if any, to make a brief statement on the topic—not to exceed five minutes. In addition, written statements on the topic that are emailed by approximately January 13, 2023, will be included in the briefing record.

Please email the statement to: ero@usccr.gov. The email subject line should state: WV School Discipline.