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U.S. Congresswoman of MA Ayanna Pressley introduces bill to curb unfair discipline of students
WASHINGTON – Today, Massachusetts Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, in partnership with Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12) and Ilhan Omar (MN-05), re-introduced the Ending PUSHOUT Act, their legislation to end what they say is the punitive pushout of girls of color from schools.
“The Ending PUSHOUT Act calls out the harmful ways in which students are criminalized and overpoliced at school and invests in safe and nurturing school environments for all students, especially girls of color.”
Rep. Pressley is also releasing a letter she sent with Speaker-Emerita Nancy Pelosi and Representative Rosa DeLauro requesting a Government Accountability Office study on the “pushout” crisis in K-12 schools.
“Our schools should be a place for our students to learn, grow, and thrive – not to be disciplined, overpoliced, and criminalized. But far too often, Black and brown girls, LGBTQI+ students, and those with disabilities are subject to unfair and discriminatory practices that criminalize adolescent behavior in the classroom,” said Rep. Pressley. “Our bill would help end the discriminatory pushout crisis by establishing trauma-informed policies in schools and creating safe and nurturing environments that provide all students the opportunity to reach their highest potential. As Republicans and school districts nationwide push policies that target and further marginalize our most vulnerable students, this is the type of trauma-informed, policy we need in this moment. I’m grateful to Reps. Omar and Watson Coleman for their partnership on legislation that affirms the right for every student to learn and thrive.”
“Black and brown girls are too often unfairly disciplined for expressing trauma at a time when so many black and brown children have lost loved ones to a pandemic that has devastated our communities,” said Rep. Watson Coleman. “They’re being disciplined for acting out unaddressed mental illness. They’re even being disciplined for their own natural hair. They’re being disciplined for the energy, independent thinking and strength that would earn their white, male peers the label: ‘future leader.’ That discipline is not only wholly inappropriate, it takes these girls out of the classroom, pushing them toward the criminal justice system, and diminishing their access to a complete education. This pattern has got to stop. I’m proud to join my colleagues in this fight to cut off the school to prison pipeline and ensure black and brown girls stay in the classroom.”
“In Minnesota’s 5th District and across the country, Black girls are suspended, expelled, and even arrested at higher rates, often due to discriminatory hair and dress policies. In my hometown of Minneapolis, black students are 41% of the student population, but make up three quarters of all suspensions, according to the most recent data. At one middle school in my district, African American students are 338% more likely to be suspended than their white counterparts. This is a civil rights issue, and we must be investing in trauma-informed approaches instead of a punitive approach,” said Rep. Omar. “I am once again proud to work on this bill with Representative Ayanna Pressley to create safe and nurturing school environments—by investing in trauma-informed policies, enforcing civil rights laws, and establishing a task force to end this crisis.”
The group argues that the education of Black and brown students is often disrupted as a result of discriminatory and punitive discipline policies that criminalize and push them out of school. The legislation states that in particular, Black girls are suspended, expelled, referred to law enforcement, and arrested on school campuses at disproportionately higher rates than white girls due to unfair dress code and hair policies and a lack of understanding of the historical, social, and economic inequities such as poverty, trauma, hunger, and violence that often impact student behavior.
“Overall, Black girls, girls of color, LGBTQI+ students, and students with disabilities are disproportionately subjected to exclusionary school discipline policies such as suspension and expulsion, which can have long-term effects on the safety, wellbeing, and academic success of all students.”
Specifically, the bill would:
-Establish new federal grants to support states and schools that commit to ban what Pressley says is unfair and discriminatory school discipline practices and improve school climate.
-Protect Civil Rights Data Collection and strengthen the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights.
-Establish a federal interagency taskforce to end school pushout and examine its disproportionate impact on girls of color.
The bill text is available here.
Joining Reps. Pressley, Watson Coleman and Omar on the bill are Reps. Joyce Beatty (OH-03), Jamaal Bowman (NY-16), Yvette Clarke (NY-09), Alma Adams (NC-12), Greg Casar (TX-35), Sara Jacobs (CA-51), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Troy Carter (LA-02), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Henry C. “Hank” Johnson, Jr. (GA-04), Barbara Lee (CA-12), Nydia M. Velazquez (NY-07), Grace Meng (NY-06), Al Green (TX-09), David Trone (MD-06), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), and Mark DeSaulnier (CA-10).
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Enough Already
April 18, 2023 at 10:37 pm
Overall, Black girls, girls of color, LGBTQI+ students, and students with disabilities are disproportionately subjected to exclusionary school discipline policies such as suspension and expulsion, which can have long-term effects on the safety, wellbeing, and academic success of all students.” PROVE IT.
I Hate Fascist MAGAt's
April 19, 2023 at 7:58 am
I just copy and pasted your response to Google and it has an answer. Turns out she’s right they are treated differently. I’m happy that our representatives in Congress are woke, not ignorant and possessing empathy. That’s what the majority voted for.
https://www.childtrends.org/publications/despite-reductions-black-students-and-students-with-disabilities-remain-more-likely-to-experience-suspension
C
April 19, 2023 at 10:53 am
Oh well, if GOOGLE says so, it MUST be true!! 🙄 Let me see if I understand this bs correctly: white, straight students never get punished or they get punished less because they’re straight and white? Are they the minority, cuz it sounds like they are. Also sounds like pressley is a racist, cuz she is.
Spot on
April 19, 2023 at 5:42 pm
Lol. 👍🏻👊👊👊
Tx but no tx
April 19, 2023 at 11:41 am
I worked for a place that ran “stats”. Don’t believe everything you read.
MortisMaximus
April 19, 2023 at 12:17 pm
Stolen elections do not equate to majority vote totals. America is a Republic, not a popularity contest. Your ignorance is on full display. Thank you Founding Father’s for the separation of powers, otherwise we’d be ruled by morons like the Messiah Massonic and his evil acolytes.
Paul gauvin
April 19, 2023 at 8:10 am
Yup,more B.S. Perhaps if the child had discipline at home, and learned at an early age that there are consequences to your actions, this would not be happening
I Hate Stupid Democrats
April 19, 2023 at 9:12 am
More useless politicians looking to make excuses for poor behavior. Simple solution to the problem. Behave in school and you won’t get kicked out.
Fed Up
April 19, 2023 at 9:26 am
““In Minnesota’s 5th District and across the country, Black girls are suspended, expelled, and even arrested at higher rates, often due to discriminatory hair and dress policies ”
Absolute nonsense. They’re suspended & expelled and arrested at higher rates because they’re more violent. Anyone who excuses this behavior makes school less safe for ALL students.
I Hate Ignorant Racist Fascist MAGAt's
April 19, 2023 at 11:35 am
Oh really, prove it your racist piece of crap because you’re totally wrong.
https://www.brookings.edu/blog/how-we-rise/2021/02/23/penalizing-black-hair-in-the-name-of-academic-success-is-undeniably-racist-unfounded-and-against-the-law/
https://equityalliance.stanford.edu/content/hair-discipline-and-race-call-cut-discrimination-out-school-dress-codes
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/how-hair-discrimination-impacts-black-americans-in-their-personal-lives-and-the-workplace
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/parents-black-texas-teens-sue-school-district-over-discriminatory-hair-n1215776
I Hate Stupid Democrats
April 19, 2023 at 2:11 pm
Not how that works stupid Democrat. The onus is on them to prove their claims NOT the other way around. ” Oh really, prove it your racist piece of crap ” Obviously you’re a product of a garbage public education learn the language then come back when you can post proof of their claims and please respect the language and learn how to form proper sentences. I’ll be waiting.
MortisMaximus
April 19, 2023 at 4:01 pm
Same sources that went on for years about Russian Collusion. Only Russian Collusion was the Biden family payment from the wife of the former mayor of Moscow. Hillaries fake pee dossier, which she paid for with campaign monies, was the basis for the entire Collusion delusion that Ken bought hook line and sinker. But hey, who’s keeping track? Not stupid progressive Bolsheviks who can’t even hold down a real job!
HuntersCrackPipe
April 19, 2023 at 4:02 pm
Believe nothing Democrats say,they engage in pure projection.
Wake up people
April 19, 2023 at 5:46 pm
A local university swore black kids were treated poorly. We ran stats. 99 percent white kids were disciplined and black kids were not. Mostly because the administration wouldn’t allow it. When we presented the numbers; they didn’t care they were wrong.