Document addresses strategies to identify and address racial and ethnic disparities in student discipline, including disaggregating discipline data reports.

4. A description of comprehensive behavioral supports that promote positive student development and the students' abilities to fulfill the behavioral expectations established by the district board of education. The description of comprehensive behavioral supports may include:

   • i. Positive reinforcement for good conduct and academic success;
   • ii. Supportive interventions and referral services;
   • iii. Remediation of problem behavior that takes into account the behavior's nature, the students' developmental ages, and the students' histories of problem behaviors and performance; and
   • iv. For students with disabilities, the behavior interventions and supports shall be determined and provided pursuant to N.J.A.C. 6A:14;

5. A description of school responses to violations of behavioral expectations established by the district board of education that, at a minimum, are graded according to the severity of the offenses, and consider the developmental ages of the student offenders and their histories of inappropriate behaviors that shall:

   • i. Include a continuum of actions designed to remediate and, where necessary or required by law, to impose sanctions;
   • ii. Be consistent with other responses, pursuant to N.J.A.C. 6A:16-5.5 through 5.7;
   • iii. Provide for the equitable application of the code of student conduct without regard to race; color; religion; ancestry; national origin; nationality; sex; gender; sexual orientation; gender identity or expression; marital, domestic-partnership, or civil-union; mental, physical, or sensory disability; or any other distinguishing characteristic, pursuant to N.J.S.A. 10:5-1 et seq.; and
   • iv. Be consistent with the provisions of N.J.S.A. 18A:6-1, Corporal punishment of pupils

(b) Each school district shall complete a comprehensive equity plan that includes a cohesive set of policies, programs, and practices that ensure high expectations, positive achievement patterns, and equal access to education opportunity for all learners, including students and teachers.

(c) A comprehensive equity plan shall include the following:

• 1. An assessment of the school district's needs for achieving equity in educational programs. The assessment shall include staffing practices, quality-of-program data, stakeholder-satisfaction data, and student assessment and behavioral data disaggregated by gender, race, ethnicity, limited English proficiency, special education, migrant, date of enrollment, student suspension, expulsion, child study team referrals, preschool-through-grade-12 promotion/retention data, preschool-through-grade-12 completion rates, and re-examination and re-evaluation of classification and placement of students in special education programs if there is overrepresentation within certain group;
• 2. A description of how other Federal, State, and school district policies, programs, and practices are aligned to the comprehensive equity plan;
• 3. Progress targets for closing the achievement gap;
• 4. Professional development targets regarding the knowledge and skills needed to provide a thorough and efficient education as defined by the New Jersey Student Learning Standard (NJSLS), differentiated instruction, and formative assessments aligned to the NJSLS and high expectations for teaching and learning; and
• 5. Annual targets that address school district needs in equity in school and classroom practices and are aligned to professional development targets.

(d) The comprehensive equity plan shall be written every three years.

(e) The district board of education shall initiate the comprehensive equity plan within 60 days of its approval, and shall implement the plan in accordance with the timelines approved by the Department.

(f) If the district board of education does not implement the comprehensive equity plan within 180 days of the plan's approval date, or fails to report its progress annually, sanctions deemed to be appropriate by the Commissioner or his or her designee shall be imposed. Sanctions may include action to suspend, terminate, or refuse to award continued Federal or State financial assistance, pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:55-2.