A survey of school discipline policies in California finds that districts have a patchwork of approaches to dealing with students who misbehave, and that administrators are concerned about how to manage students’ behavior and worry about the disproportionate impact of some discipline policies on black and Latino students.
And while 70 percent of districts reported that they rely on police officers for student monitoring and discipline, they would rather have more counselors, better training of school staff members, and rehabilitative services for students who are expelled or suspended.
The survey, released this month by the nonprofit research and policy organization EdSource, included responses from 315 districts that enroll 4.1 million students, or about two-thirds of all students in California schools.