RI ACLU Finds Suspension Discrepancy for Black vs. White Students
GoLocalProv News Team
RI ACLU Finds Suspension Discrepancy for Black vs. White Students
The report is a follow-up to a similar one issued by the ACLU in June of last year. Key findings from the 2012-2013 school year include:
• Black students were suspended from school 2.19 times as often as would be expected based on their school population. This is a record high suspension disparity for black students over the nine years the ACLU has studied. Hispanic students were suspended over one-and-a-half times as often as expected. White students, in contrast, were suspended just 0.64 times what would be expected, a record low.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST• Twenty-five school districts disproportionately suspended black students. Twenty-six school districts disproportionately suspended Hispanic students.
• Suspensions remained endemic at the lowest grades, and continued to disproportionately affect minority students. Nearly 1,400 elementary school students – and 147 first grade students – were suspended last year, and black elementary school students were suspended more than three times as often as expected based on their representation.
• Despite nationwide efforts to promote the use of out-of-school suspensions only in extreme circumstances, over 60 percent of the suspensions for Rhode Island students last year were for low-risk behavioral infractions.
• One-third of all suspensions were served for the vague infractions of “Disorderly Conduct” and “Insubordination/Disrespect.” In fact, thousands more suspensions occurred for “Disorderly Conduct” and “Insubordination/ Disrespect” than for assault, bomb threats, breaking and entering, possession or use of controlled substances, fire regulation violations, fighting, gang activity, harassment, hate crimes, hazing, larceny, threats, trespassing, vandalism or weapon possession combined.
• More than a quarter of elementary school suspensions were for “Disorderly Conduct” alone. Despite making up one-third of the elementary school population, black and Hispanic students constituted two-thirds of the elementary school students suspended for “Disorderly Conduct” or “Insubordination/Disrespect.”
• Although the total number of suspensions overall was down from previous years, that reduction can be attributed almost exclusively to implementation of a law passed by the General Assembly in 2012 prohibiting out-of-school suspensions for attendance infractions. In fact, while overall suspensions decreased, the number of suspensions for low-risk behavioral infractions increased by more than 400.
“Rhode Island’s students deserve an education system that seeks to promote rather than punish them, and efforts by educators and the legislature in 2014 can make that possible,” the conclusion of the report states. “Swift action by Rhode Island’s leaders can ensure that another cohort of children does not find themselves the subject of increasingly grim statistics, and instead finds them granted all the educational opportunities we have to offer them.”
RI Home Schooled Students
34. Central Falls
Home schooled students per 1,000: 1.1
Total home schooled students: 3
Total public school students in district: 2,694
Note: Data reflects October enrollment period for school year 2013-14.
33. Barrington
Home schooled students per 1,000: 3.6
Total home schooled students: 12
Total public school students in district: 3,334
Note: Data reflects October enrollment period for school year 2013-14.
32. Providence
Home schooled students per 1,000: 3.7
Total home schooled students: 89
Total public school students in district: 23,827
Note: Data reflects October enrollment period for school year 2013-14.
31. North Providence
Home schooled students per 1,000: 6.0
Total home schooled students: 21
Total public school students in district: 3,498
Note: Data reflects October enrollment period for school year 2013-14.
30. Johnston
Home schooled students per 1,000: 6.5
Total home schooled students: 20
Total public school students in district: 3,095
Note: Data reflects October enrollment period for school year 2013-14.
29. Lincoln
Home schooled students per 1,000: 7.9
Total home schooled students: 25
Total public school students in district: 3,182
Note: Data reflects October enrollment period for school year 2013-14.
28. Pawtucket
Home schooled students per 1,000: 8.0
Total home schooled students: 15
Total public school students in district: 8,953
Note: Data reflects October enrollment period for school year 2013-14.
27. Westerly
Home schooled students per 1,000: 8.3
Total home schooled students: 25
Total public school students in district: 3,016
Note: Data reflects October enrollment period for school year 2013-14.
26. North Smithfield
Home schooled students per 1,000: 8.7
Total home schooled students: 15
Total public school students in district: 1,729
Note: Data reflects October enrollment period for school year 2013-14.
25. New Shoreham
Home schooled students per 1,000: 8.8
Total home schooled students: 1
Total public school students in district: 114
Note: Data reflects October enrollment period for school year 2013-14.
24. Bristol-Warren
Home schooled students per 1,000: 9.0
Total home schooled students: 31
Total public school students in district: 3,429
Note: Data reflects October enrollment period for school year 2013-14.
23. Cranston
Home schooled students per 1,000: 10.05
Total home schooled students: 106
Total public school students in district: 10,552
Note: Data reflects October enrollment period for school year 2013-14.
22. South Kingstown
Home schooled students per 1,000: 10.3
Total home schooled students: 35
Total public school students in district: 3,397
Note: Data reflects October enrollment period for school year 2013-14.
21. Middletown
Home schooled students per 1,000: 10.6
Total home schooled students: 24
Total public school students in district: 2,267
Note: Data reflects October enrollment period for school year 2013-14.
20. Narragansett
Home schooled students per 1,000: 11.5
Total home schooled students: 16
Total public school students in district: 1,396
Note: Data reflects October enrollment period for school year 2013-14.
19. East Providence
Home schooled students per 1,000: 12.0
Total home schooled students: 64
Total public school students in district: 5,321
Note: Data reflects October enrollment period for school year 2013-14.
18. Glocester
Home schooled students per 1,000: 13.2
Total home schooled students: 7
Total public school students in district: 529
Note: Data reflects October enrollment period for school year 2013-14.
17. Smithfield
Home schooled students per 1,000: 13.4
Total home schooled students: 32
Total public school students in district: 2,396
Note: Data reflects October enrollment period for school year 2013-14.
16. Cumberland
Home schooled students per 1,000: 13.5
Total home schooled students: 61
Total public school students in district: 4,531
Note: Data reflects October enrollment period for school year 2013-14.
15. Burrillville
Home schooled students per 1,000: 14.2
Total home schooled students: 34
Total public school students in district: 2,401
Note: Data reflects October enrollment period for school year 2013-14.
14. Warwick
Home schooled students per 1,000: 14.6
Total home schooled students: 137
Total public school students in district: 9,393
Note: Data reflects October enrollment period for school year 2013-14.
Photo: Flickr/Ken Zirkel
13. Jamestown
Home schooled students per 1,000: 15.8
Total home schooled students: 8
Total public school students in district: 507
Note: Data reflects October enrollment period for school year 2013-14.
12. North Kingstown
Home schooled students per 1,000: 16.5
Total home schooled students: 67
Total public school students in district: 4,056
Note: Data reflects October enrollment period for school year 2013-14.
Photo: Flickr/C. Hanchey
11. Coventry
Home schooled students per 1,000: 16.6
Total home schooled students: 83
Total public school students in district: 4,992
Note: Data reflects October enrollment period for school year 2013-14.
10. Portsmouth
Home schooled students per 1,000: 17.0
Total home schooled students: 45
Total public school students in district: 2,647
Note: Data reflects October enrollment period for school year 2013-14.
9. Foster-Glocester
Home schooled students per 1,000: 17.3
Total home schooled students: 20
Total public school students in district: 1,153
Note: Data reflects October enrollment period for school year 2013-14.
8. Woonsocket
Home schooled students per 1,000: 17.9
Total home schooled students: 106
Total public school students in district: 5,920
Note: Data reflects October enrollment period for school year 2013-14.
7. West Warwick
Home schooled students per 1,000: 18.4
Total home schooled students: 63
Total public school students in district: 3,421
Note: Data reflects October enrollment period for school year 2013-14.
6. Scituate
Home schooled students per 1,000: 18.7
Total home schooled students: 27
Total public school students in district: 1,448
Note: Data reflects October enrollment period for school year 2013-14.
5. Tiverton
Home schooled students per 1,000: 20.3
Total home schooled students: 38
Total public school students in district: 1,873
Note: Data reflects October enrollment period for school year 2013-14.
4. Newport
Home schooled students per 1,000: 23.5
Total home schooled students: 47
Total public school students in district: 1,996
Note: Data reflects October enrollment period for school year 2013-14.
3. Foster
Home schooled students per 1,000: 25.7
Total home schooled students: 7
Total public school students in district: 272
Note: Data reflects October enrollment period for school year 2013-14.
2. Chariho
Home schooled students per 1,000: 26.8
Total home schooled students: 92
Total public school students in district: 3,427
Note: Data reflects October enrollment period for school year 2013-14.
1. Little Compton
Home schooled students per 1,000: 42.3
Total home schooled students: 11
Total public school students in district: 260
Note: Data reflects October enrollment period for school year 2013-14.
