Students most vulnerable to disciplinary action in PISD

While the data is nowhere to be found or linked on the Pearland ISD website, according to the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (from a PISD survey in 2015), black students and (Individuals with Disabilities Act) IDEA students in our district disproportionately receive in-school suspension, out-of-school suspension, and expulsion. While only 16% of district enrollment, black students comprise over 30% of students for whom the district takes these disciplinary actions. The numbers are even more concerning for IDEA students, who represent 8% of district enrollment and 31%, 43%, and 23% of students who are punished. Section 504* student data are not reported by demographic categories.

We have an alternative high school in Pearland ISD called the PACE Center for students with behavioral problems. There, black students are actually underrepresented at 10% of the campus population (relative to 15% of the district), while Latinx students (45% vs. 35%) and special education students (22% vs. 8%) are overrepresented.

We have budgeted for over $2M on security and monitoring services in 2018-2019. With the investment in school safety across the district, are we also taking measures to ensure that *every* student is safe? Perhaps we should be considering a wealth (proven or at least promising) alternative strategies for effective school discipline. 

*Section 504 is a civil rights law, while IDEA is an educational benefit law. All IDEA students are covered by Section 504, but the reciprocal is not true. Curiously, PISD reports a smaller number of Section 504 students than IDEA students.