Discipline

Learn more about how schools handle student discipline and how disciplinary actions affect students
Deputy Carroll walks the hall of Rice Elementary School with an administrator on Wednesday.
A school police officer walks the halls of Rice Elementary School in Greenwood, S.C., with an administrator on April 6, 2022.
Lindsey Hodges/The Index-Journal via AP
School Climate & Safety Students of Color Disproportionately Suffer From Police Assaults at School, Says Report
A new report tallies up assaults by school-based police officers on students of color.
Eesha Pendharkar, January 13, 2023
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6 min read
A student covers his head and holds onto a table during a statewide earthquake drill, at Lowell Elementary School on Oct. 20, 2016, in Seattle. Schools, businesses, and community organizations conducted similar exercises across the state as part of the annual Great Washington ShakeOut earthquake and tsunami readiness program.
A student takes cover during a statewide earthquake drill at Lowell Elementary School in Seattle in 2016. More than 90 percent of schools now have written plans and practice for active shooters and other emergencies.
Elaine Thompson/AP
School Climate & Safety What the Research Says How School Security Changed Since the Pandemic, in 5 Charts
More schools are planning and practicing for emergencies of all kinds.
Sarah D. Sparks, January 12, 2023
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2 min read
Scales of justice and Gavel on wooden table and Lawyer or Judge working with agreement in Courtroom, Justice and Law concept.
Pattanaphong Khuankaew/iStock
Law & Courts Court Upholds Discipline of Students for Instagram Posts That Targeted Black Classmates
A unanimous federal appeals court panel said its ruling was consistent with the U.S. Supreme Court's 2021 decision on off-campus speech.
Mark Walsh, December 29, 2022
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4 min read
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Equity & Diversity Equity Scorecard: Assessing Equity in 4 Critical Areas
Data show a mixed bag when it comes to whether schools are now more equitable than they were pre-pandemic.
Ileana Najarro, Benjamin Herold, Eesha Pendharkar & Mark Walsh, November 28, 2022
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5 min read
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Illustration by Chris Whetzel for Education Week
Equity & Diversity Here's How the Pandemic Changed School Discipline
Students were suspended less frequently but Black, poor, and disabled students were punished at higher rates after the pandemic.
Eesha Pendharkar, November 28, 2022
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5 min read
Image of a paddle.
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School Climate & Safety Q&A How a Student's Push to End Paddling in Schools Became a Yearslong Civics Lesson
A student advocate pushed to end corporal punishment in his state—and gained a passion for civic involvement in the process.
Evie Blad, November 22, 2022
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7 min read
A student gives middle school principal Felipé Jackson a hug in the cafeteria.
A student gives middle school principal Felipé Jackson a hug in the cafeteria at Bear Creek Middle School in Fairburn, Ga.
Dustin Chambers for Education Week
School & District Management Middle School Is Tough, But These Principals Like It Best of All
Middle school is a roller coaster for principals leading kids still finding their footing academically, emotionally, and socially.
Denisa R. Superville, November 11, 2022
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8 min read
Conceptual illustration of a black boy looking through a dream door at a glowing stairway.
Jorm Sangsom/iStock/Getty
Equity & Diversity Opinion Stop Demonizing Black Boys. Let Them Play, Too
The play of Black boys is judged differently—more dangerous, more violent—than that of peers, writes teacher-educator Altheria Caldera.
Altheria Caldera, November 4, 2022
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4 min read
An Alameda High School student poses for photos wearing ripped jeans on the school's campus in Alameda, Calif., Thursday, Aug. 23, 2018. The relaxed new dress code at public schools in the small city of Alameda, across the bay from San Francisco, is intentionally specific: Midriff-baring shirts are acceptable attire, so are tank tops with spaghetti straps and other once-banned items like micro-mini skirts and short shorts.
An Alameda High School student wears ripped jeans on the school's campus in Alameda, Calif.. The school system recently relaxed its dress codes to lessen their impact on some students.
Jeff Chiu/AP
Equity & Diversity Districts Need Guidance on Designing Dress Codes That Are Fair to All. It Might Be On the Way
The Education Department has said it will develop resources, but experts say school districts also need to examine their own policies.
Eesha Pendharkar, October 28, 2022
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6 min read
In this Sept. 7, 2018 photo, a student at Grant High School in Portland, Ore., waits for a ride after school. Portland Public Schools relaxed its dress code in 2016 after student complaints that the rules unfairly targeted female students and sexualized their fashion choices.
A student at Grant High School in Portland, Ore., waits for a ride after school in 2018. The school system relaxed its dress code in 2016 after student complaints that the rules unfairly targeted female students.
Gillian Flaccus/AP
Equity & Diversity School Dress Codes Aren't Fair to Everyone, Federal Study Finds
Girls, Black students, and LGBTQ students are disproportionately impacted by school dress codes, says the GAO's report.
Eesha Pendharkar, October 27, 2022
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6 min read
A school resource officer in Anderson, Calif., walks a middle school student back to class on Dec. 9, 2013.
A school resource officer and middle school student in Anderson, Calif., walk to class on Dec. 9, 2013. In a case involving an SRO in Florida, a federal appeals court has voted to revive a civil claim for excessive force on behalf of a student.
Andreas Fuhrmann/The Record Searchlight via AP
Law & Courts New Court Ruling Allows Former School Resource Officer to Be Sued for Excessive Force
In a relatively rare denial of qualified immunity for a police officer, a federal appeals court revives a student's civil claim.
Mark Walsh, August 25, 2022
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3 min read
Students using computers.
E+/Getty
Classroom Technology Software That Monitors Students May Hurt Some It's Meant to Help
Instead of referring kids to counseling services, the software is often used for discipline purposes, a tech policy group says.
Alyson Klein, August 8, 2022
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2 min read
Illustration of exit doors leading out of a school hallway
iStock/Getty Images Plus
Teaching Profession Opinion Why I Left Teaching (Spoiler: It Wasn't the Students)
A public school teacher explains how three troubling trends drove him out of the profession this year.
Paul Veracka, August 2, 2022
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5 min read
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona speaks during the daily briefing at the White House in Washington on Aug. 5, 2021.
U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona speaks at a White House briefing in August 2021. The U.S. Department of Education has just released guidance on protecting students with disabilities from discriminatory discipline practices.
Susan Walsh/AP
Special Education New Discipline Guidance Focuses on Discrimination Against Students With Disabilities
The Biden administration aims to clarify how federal law protects students with disabilities.
Libby Stanford, July 19, 2022
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6 min read
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