This page addresses strategies to identify and address racial and ethnic dispairties in student discipline

This page addresses strategies to identify and address racial and ethnic dispairties in student discipline

This page addresses strategies to identify and address racial and ethnic dispairties in student discipline

(1) Beginning with the 2017-18 school year, and using the phase-in provided in subsection (2) of this section, the superintendent of public instruction must collect and school districts must submit all student-level data using the United States department of education 2007 race and ethnicity reporting guidelines, including the subracial and subethnic categories within those guidelines, with the following modifications:

• (a) Further disaggregation of the Black category to differentiate students of African origin and students native to the United States with African ancestors;
• (b) Further disaggregation of countries of origin for Asian students;
• (c) Further disaggregation of the White category to include subethnic categories for Eastern European nationalities that have significant populations in Washington; and
• (d) For students who report as multiracial, collection of their racial and ethnic combination of categories.

(2) Beginning with the 2017-18 school year, school districts shall collect student-level data as provided in subsection (1) of this section for all newly enrolled students, including transfer students. When the students enroll in a different school within the district, school districts shall resurvey the newly enrolled students for whom subracial and subethnic categories were not previously collected. School districts may resurvey other students.

(3) All student data-related reports required of the superintendent of public instruction in this title must be disaggregated by at least the following subgroups of students: White, Black, Hispanic, American Indian/Alaskan Native, Asian, Pacific Islander/Hawaiian Native, low income, transitional bilingual, migrant, special education, and students covered by section 504 of the federal rehabilitation act of 1973, as amended (29 U.S.C. Sec. 794).

(4) All student data-related reports prepared by the superintendent of public instruction regarding student suspensions and expulsions as required under this title are subject to disaggregation by subgroups including:

• (a) Gender;
• (b) Foster care;
• (c) Homeless, if known;
• (d) School district;
• (e) School;
• (f) Grade level;
• (g) Behavior infraction code, including:
• (i) Bullying;
• (ii) Tobacco;
• (iii) Alcohol;
• (iv) Illicit drug;
• (v) Fighting without major injury;
• (vi) Violence without major injury;
• (vii) Violence with major injury;
• (viii) Possession of a weapon; and
• (ix) Other behavior resulting from a short-term or long-term suspension, expulsion, or interim alternative education setting intervention;
• (h) Intervention applied, including:
• (i) Short-term suspension;
• (ii) Long-term suspension;
• (iii) Emergency expulsion;
• (iv) Expulsion;
• (v) Interim alternative education settings;
• (vi) No intervention applied; and
• (vii) Other intervention applied that is not described in this subsection (4)(h);
• (i) Number of days a student is suspended or expelled, to be counted in half or full days; and
• (j) Any other categories added at a future date by the data governance group.

(5) All student data-related reports required of the superintendent of public instruction regarding student suspensions and expulsions as required in RCW 28A.300.046 are subject to cross-tabulation at a minimum by the following:

(2) School districts shall use disaggregated data collected pursuant to RCW 28A.300.042 to monitor the impact of the school district’s discipline policies and procedures.

At least annually, each school district and public charter school must review data on corrective and disciplinary actions taken against students within each school disaggregated by sex, race, limited-English proficiency (i.e., English language learners), and disability, including students protected under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. This review must include, but is not limited to, short-term suspensions, long-term suspensions, expulsions, and emergency expulsions. In reviewing this data, each school district or public charter school must determine whether it has disciplined or applied corrective action to a substantially disproportionate number of students within any of the categories identified in this section. If a school district or public charter school finds that it has disciplined or applied corrective action to a substantially disproportionate number of students who are members of one of the categories identified in this section, the school district or charter school must take prompt action to ensure that the disproportion is not the result of discrimination.

(2) Development and review. A school district must develop and periodically review discipline policies and procedures with the participation of school personnel, students, parents, families, and the community. During the development and review of discipline policies and procedures, the school district must use disaggregated data collected under RCW 28A.300.042 to:

• (a) Monitor the impact of the school district's discipline policies, procedures, and practices; and
• (b) Update the school district's discipline policies and procedures to improve fairness and equity in the administration of discipline.