Over the past 12 months, we have learned a lot about school discipline in Chicago. The Consortium on Chicago School Research, the U.S. Department of Education, and the students themselves have painted a very clear picture for us:
Extreme measures like suspensions, expulsions, and arrests don’t make our schools safer—and can in fact make things worse, by damaging the trusting student-teacher relationships that are the foundation for a safe learning environment.
They disproportionately impact the educational futures of our Black, Latino and special education students.
