By Megan Sayles
AFRO Staff Writer
msayles@afro.com
In a move that has sparked divided reactions across the education community, the 47th president’s latest executive order on school discipline aims to reverse federal guidelines intended to address racial disparities in school suspensions and expulsions.
The order, signed on April 23, is titled, “Reinstating Common Sense School Discipline Policies.” It promotes protocols that are based on student behavior and prohibits policies that are grounded in “discriminatory equity ideology.”
Supporters argue that it can restore safety and fairness in classrooms. Opponents warn that it will undermine efforts to address systemic racism in schools and exacerbate inequities.
“This order ignores decades of evidence showing that equitable discipline policies reduce harm and promote accountability,” said a Maryland principal who asked to remain anonymous. “Rolling back protections under the guise of ‘common sense’ risks returning us to an era where bias goes unchecked— and students pay the price.”
He asserted that Black and Brown students are already over-policied in schools. He believes the executive order disguises itself as neutral when really it will intensify injustice in schools.
For him a fair school discipline system pairs accountability with compassion. It includes tiered interventions, restorative practices and the transparent analysis of student disparities.
“Education is about dignity. When we weaponize discipline to silence equity, we fail every child,” said the principal. “The true ‘common sense’ is addressing root causes, not masking them.”
Danielle Blocker, founder of Young People for Progress, also believes that the 47th president’s executive order will have repercussions for Black and Brown students. Her organization focuses on promoting restorative justice practice, which focuses on repairing harm and relationship-building over traditional punishment.
“This will certainly harm students of color, and it will probably harm special education students too, who are also disproportionately disciplined and pushed out of school,” said Blocker. “Having less scrutiny on school discipline policies, whether it be around racial disparities or otherwise, is going to lead to harsher policies.”
If harsher policies result in removing students from school, whether in the form of suspension or expulsion, Blocker said this could jeopardize student outcomes.
“They miss class time, learning time, tests and more,” said Blocker. “It can hurt their grades and overall education, whether they’re removed temporarily or permanently.”
She also believes the order could lead to more students being funneled into the criminal justice system.
“The school-to-prison pipeline is already something that is bad in the United States, including in Maryland. We know that having police in schools increases the number of students who are arrested and put into the pipeline,” said Blocker. “In addition to removing students from schools, if that harsh discipline includes more policing of students and more police in schools that could be really harmful.”
The use of racial disparity data to guide school discipline policies traces back to the Obama administration. In 2014, the Department of Education and Department of Justice issued federal guidance known as the “Dear Colleague” letter. It warned schools that they could be in danger of violating the Civil Rights Act of 1964 if their disciplinary decisions resulted in disproportionately harsh outcomes for students of particular races.
During the 47th president’s first term, he rescinded the “Dear Colleague” letter, arguing that it led to schools ignoring or covering up student misconduct. But, under the Biden administration it was reinstated. Now, the 47th president has chosen to reverse it again with his April executive order.
Annette Albright, a former employee of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools district, has been an advocate of instating behavior-focused discipline policies since she was assaulted by students in a North Carolina school in 2016. She said she was the seventh staff member to be assaulted that year.
This combined with daily violence in the school led her to advocate for school districts to be more accountable in disciplining students. Albright attended the 47th president’s signing of the April executive order.
“You have to base school discipline on behaviors, not race, gender or because a child is living in poverty,” said Albright. “The reason is because you have to keep those school environments safe, and a lot of school environments are not safe.”
She opposes the use of restorative justice in schools, arguing that young people may not yet have the maturity or understanding necessary to fully benefit from or engage in the process. For Albright, “common sense” policies center on deterring behavior by applying discipline that matches the severity of the misconduct.
“The discipline has to be harsh enough that it deters the behavior, but it also has to be fair and specified,” said Albright. “Students and parents should know that if certain things happen, there will be consequences. It has to be written out and followed by each school.”
She suggested that schools could leverage virtual education for students with a history of behavior problems that threaten the safety of their peers and teachers. She also acknowledged that local public school systems are the backbones of cities.
Though she believes it’s crucial for students to stay in school, Albright said they must be safe in their classrooms. She urged parents to have confidence in the process outlined by the new executive order and noted that any further actions under it will be assessed by the Office of Civil Rights.
“Being a Black woman, I want to see Black kids educated. I want to keep Black kids in schools. It’s the most available resource to lifting yourself out of poverty,” said Albright. “But, what we’re experiencing now is what happens when our youth are not in schools, not engaged and feel hopeless.”
