New Government Watchdog Report on Discipline Disparities for Black Girls

New Government Watchdog Report on Discipline Disparities for Black Girls

"This systemic discrimination prevents Black girls from receiving the same quality education as their peers, impacting their opportunities for future success."

WASHINGTON - Today, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a groundbreaking report on school discipline. The report revealed that Black girls face disproportionately severe discipline compared to other girls. Moreover, they often received harsher punishments than their white peers for similar behaviors. Nationally, the disparity in exclusionary discipline rates is striking, with Black girls facing exclusionary discipline at rates three to 5.2 times higher than those of white girls.

"Today's GAO report confirms what experts like Dr. Monique Couvson, author of Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in School, have been telling us for years - Black girls face harsher, more frequent discipline than their white counterparts in schools,"saidRanking Member Scott, House Committee Education and the Workforce."This systemic discrimination prevents Black girls from receiving the same quality education as their peers, impacting their opportunities for future success. Congress must take action to ensure that all students, regardless of race or gender, can feel safe at school."

"This groundbreaking GAO report - that I was honored to join Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley and Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro in requesting - highlights the unacceptable discrimination that Black and brown girls face in K-12 schools every day,"Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi said."The wildly disproportionate number of Black and brown girls who face harsher, more frequent discipline is truly a challenge to the conscience of our nation. Thank you, Congresswoman Pressley, for shining a vital spotlight on a tragic injustice in our schools that has been overlooked for far too long."

"This damning new report affirms what we've known all along - that Black girls continue to face a crisis of criminalization in our schools - and the report provides powerful new data to push back on the harmful narrative that different groups are disciplined differently because they behave differently,"said Congresswoman Pressley. "The only way we can address this crisis is through intentional, trauma-informed policy, I hope this report will motivate Congress to advance legislation including my Ending PUSHOUT Act to address the discriminatory pushout of Black girls in schools and create safe, nurturing school environments where every student can thrive. I'm grateful to the GAO for conducting this important study and to Speaker-Emerita Pelosi and Ranking Member DeLauro for their partnership."

"Students are only able to learn if they feel safe and are allowed to participate in school. This report confirms and provides further evidence for what we have long known to be true: Black girls receive more frequent and more severe discipline in school than other girls. This disparity causes many Black girls to lose instructional time and suffer consequences after their time in school,"said Ranking Member DeLauro. "I thank Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley and Speaker-Emerita Pelosi for their leadership on this issue and their partnership in requesting this important GAO report. It will inform our work on the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) Appropriations subcommittee to protect civil rights and improve the wellbeing of our nation's children. I hope that, because of these important findings, schools across the country and policymakers at every level of government examine the use of exclusionary discipline policies that are disproportionately harming Black girls."

To reach the entire report, entitled, "Nationally, Black Girls Receive More Frequent and More Severe Discipline in School than Other Girls," click here.

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