SOUTH JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — New Jersey’s attorney general and commissioner of education have sent to school administrators a detailed set of guidelines for eliminating bias in disciplinary decisions.
The director of the Office of the Attorney General’s Division on Civil Rights says, unfortunately, disparities continue to persist in matters of school discipline, and they will do everything they can to stop it.
Attorney General Matt Platkin says students of color and white students misbehave at the same rate, but Black and brown students are much more likely to be suspended or disciplined. In addition, says Platkin, LGBTQ students are suspended nearly twice as often nationally as students who are not LGBTQ.
The attorney general says the new guidance will help give schools the tools to eliminate both conscious and unconscious bias to ensure greater equity among students.
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“Disparities in discipline have a ripple effect,” said Betsy Ginsburg, executive director of the Garden State Coalition of Schools.
“The guidance overall tells us to hold up a mirror to our districts and look at our patterns of discipline.”
She says students notice those patterns, and unaddressed disparities in punishments along racial lines can often lead to more bad behavior.
Acting Commissioner of Education Angelica Allen-McMillan called the initiative a transformative journey toward a more just and equitable educational landscape.
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