Over half of Texas students are suspended or expelled from school
A Justice Center report, “Breaking Schools’ Rules: A Statewide Study of How School Discipline Relates to Students’ Success and Juvenile Justice Involvement,” reveals tragically high suspension rates of Texas’ students between the 7th and 12th grades:
- Nearly six in ten public school students were suspended or expelled from school at least once
- Nearly 150,000 students spent time in an alternative school
- Nearly 80,000 students spent time in a juvenile justice education program
- 83 percent of Black male students had at least one suspension (74 percent for Hispanic males and 59 percent for White males)
- 75 percent of Special Education students were suspended or expelled at least once
- 31 percent of students who were suspended or expelled had to repeat their grade at least once (only 5 percent for students who were never suspended)
- 10 percent of students who were suspended or expelled dropped out of school
Clearly, being suspended or expelled from school, and the resulting time out of school can have a hugely negative impact on a student’s future.