2017 NLADA Annual Conference

Much attention has been paid to disparities in suspensions and expulsions and their disparate impact on students of color over the last several years. Important legislative and local policy changes have been made to address the overuse of discipline and focus on alternative interventions. Unforturnately, while both the suspension and expulsion rates have decreased across the country, significant disparities persist for African-American and Latino students. This session will address the fact that even with the decrease in expulsions, there has not been a significant decrease in referrals -- involuntary or otherwise -- to alternative school settings that disproportionately enroll African-American and Latino students. Data analysis strategies will be shared that will reveal the over-reliance on alternative schools as a long-term placement for students of color and the methods used by schools to avoid having to report these assignments as expulsions. The session will also address strategies based on equal protection, due process, and state education guarantees for challenging alternative school assignments. Finally, the session will share work on the development of model policies at both referring schools and alternative schools to help ensure that such assignments are not just warehousing of students but are provide a meaningful and equivalent access to education services.