A report from the state Attorney General’s Office regarding discipline in Vancouver Public Schools should be regarded as a talking point, not the final word. The report raises valid questions about the suspension or expulsion of students that should lead to some self-examination by the district — as well as other local districts.
In seeking answers to those questions, the most important issue is how to create a welcoming atmosphere for all students that is conducive to learning. Undoubtedly, there are instances in which a student presents a danger or causes a disruption that can impact a school’s general population; in some cases, the majority of students are better served by the removal of a particular student. As the district’s website explains, students have a right to “an orderly and safe learning environment.”
The website also, however, says that students have a right to “equal treatment in the enforcement of school rules and due process.” That is the part called into question by the Attorney General’s Office. A June 25 letter to district officials reported that discipline practices led to disproportionately higher rates of suspension and expulsion for black, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, and Native American students — as well as students with disabilities.
During the 2017-18 school year, according to the state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, 4.9 percent of white students were suspended or expelled at some point. Meanwhile, 11.5 percent of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander students were disciplined, along with 10.9 percent of black or African American students.
Those statistics must be viewed as information rather than a conclusion. There are numerous reasons a student might be suspended or expelled, and some student behavior more clearly warrants discipline than other behavior. It is impossible to infer reasoning without being privy to the details of each particular incident.
“We will address, as a system, the complicated factors involved in fairly imposing student corrective action without unintended discriminatory outcomes,” district Superintendent Steve Webb said in a news release. “We are committed to refining our policies and practices to be appropriate and equitable. Our students, their families, our staff and our community deserve it.”
Part of that must include an examination of implicit bias from staff and administrators, but it should not begin with an assumption that such bias is a driver of inequitable outcomes. The individual facts of each incident that resulted in a suspension or expulsion — and those that did not — should be reviewed before assessing district policy as a whole.
The same process should be undertaken at other districts throughout the county. A national study from Princeton University this year found that black students are four times more likely than white students to be suspended, and three times more likely to be expelled. The issue is not exclusive to Vancouver Public Schools.
That leads us back to questions about defining the issue. The overriding concern of teachers and administrators must be to create an environment in which disruptive students of any ethnicity are not allowed to distract from the education of other students. Teachers have a difficult enough job and must be provided with the tools to quickly, effectively and equitably deal with troublesome students.
Toward that end, the report from the Attorney General’s Office raises some important questions. Answering them properly can enhance the education for all students in Vancouver Public Schools.
