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DISPROPORTIONATE SUSPENSION RATES
Disciplinary trend upsets black parents
Cultural differences, teachers?’ skills get blame for disparity
By Charlie Roduta and Jennifer Smith Richards
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
It didn?’t take long for angry, worried calls to trickle in.
Soon after a group of black parents in Pickerington publicly complained that their children were being unfairly disciplined, phones started ringing at the Columbus NAACP office.
At least 150 people told stories of inequity in local schools, President Noel Williams said last week.
She said the Columbus branch will investigate Pickerington?’s disciplinary practices. And in districts across Franklin County, parents are speaking out about a long-standing and growing problem: Black students are disciplined at far greater rates than their white peers, though the vast majority of districts have far fewer black students.
Two-thirds of all suspensions in Franklin County and Pickerington schools affected black students last school year, a Dispatch analysis of state data found, while 28.7 percent of students in those districts were black.
Two years earlier, 58 percent of those suspended were black, and the student population was 28.6 percent black.
At least half of area school districts suspend black students for fighting or disruptive behavior, the most commonly punished offenses, twice as often as their white peers.
In some districts, including Dublin and Worthington, black students are more than five times as likely as whites to be suspended for fighting or disruption.
''It?’s been brewing for a long time now,'' said Micah Haralson, president of the Grove- port Madison Parent Group, whose members are mostly black.
''It?’s always been an issue in the suburban areas.''
Members of the African American United Parents of Pickerington spoke at last week?’s school board meeting, demanding immediate action to address what they consider inequitable treatment of their children.
In Pickerington, where enrollment is 15 percent black, 188 suspensions were handed out to black students last school year for fighting and disruption. That accounted for about 53 percent of suspensions for those offenses.
Pickerington parents?’ outcry sparked renewed concern in other communities, including Groveport Madison. There, Haralson?’s group met with district leaders last week to talk about the issue.
''We?’re not only putting these things to rest, but we?’re putting light to issues that have been prevalent for a long time,'' Haralson said.
He said parents groups across the county are planning a public forum next month.
The numbers are easier to talk about than the reasons behind them.
An Ohio State University researcher studying the disciplinary disparity said that white teachers often don?’t understand black culture.
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How far???
Sometimes teachers don?’t have strong classroom-management skills and overreact to disruptive students, said Gwendolyn Cartledge, an education professor.
Other times, she said, teachers simply don?’t understand the negative impact a suspension can have on a student.
''We don?’t know what to do, so we suspend kids and we don?’t know if this is working,'' she said.
Another researcher said that too few teachers can relate to minority students.
''It?’s not like were talking about blatantly racist teachers,'' said Russ Skiba, an Indiana University professor who has studied race and discipline. ''It?’s more like they are almost unconscious differences. And they are not huge at any one time, (but) over time those things add up.''
Groveport?’s numbers don?’t tell the whole story, said Donis Toler, principal of Groveport Madison High School.
''It?’s not as bad as what people think,'' he said, because many students, black and white, are repeat offenders.
Some districts are listening to parents?’ concerns. Others say they are making changes.
Reynoldsburg schools are actively seeking minority teachers, Assistant Superintendent Steve Dackin said. At Reynoldsburg Junior High, the principal says half the battle is knowing there?’s a problem.
''If we sit back and say it?’s not an issue, we?’re only hurting ourselves,'' Principal Tyrone Olverson said. Discipline numbers will be better at the junior high this year, he said. The school has placed more administrators in classrooms and hallways, conducts weekly seminars to talk about students?’ concerns and has replaced in-school suspension with a 30-minute ''timeout'' period to reduce lost class time.
Cartledge said losing time in the classroom doesn?’t help children, especially those already at risk of falling behind.
''One of the things I think is so important is for schools to understand that the strategies they use for disciplining children actually seem to make the problems worse, rather than better,'' she said.
That?’s one of the reasons Olverson said he?’s willing to take on a problem that other school officials haven?’t.
''It?’s nothing to be shameful about. There?’s no shame, no blame. We admit to our issues. These are our challenges.''
croduta@dispatch.com
jsmithrichards@dispatch.com
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Ask the kids... I asked mine.
Ask the kids. They will tell you the truth: the ones acting up are the ones getting disciplined and suspended. I find it IRONIC that the parents of these students that act up, African American United Parents of Pickerington?‘s (AAUPP), all go to a board meeting and ?“act up?”, shouting at the top of their lungs, demanding change. What an example for their children! ?“Hey kids this is the way to behave!?” I wish I had a video camera recording of it ?– it would have been on YouTube in a second for all of our community to see! What a disgrace!
Numbers don?’t lie. 98.5% graduation rates for black students in Pickerington; lower rates of discipline than surrounding district. Outstanding! Pickerington local schools are providing excellent opportunities to all of our district?’s kids. Kids are graduating! We can?’t say that about surrounding districts.
GRADUATING?…. Isn?’t that what they go to school for in the first place? Not for extra curricular activities or sports or to have their feelings/egos stroked by feel-good discipline policies that don?’t work. They go to school to graduate -- period!
AAUPP doesn?’t want to hear the facts, though. Zero members of this group ran for the board. ZERO. How?’s that for caring about your kids?
AAUPP: ?“It is also affecting their (black students) academic success.?” Really? 98.5% graduation rates. Hmm. AAUPP: ?“I don?’t want to match up figures and numbers. I want changes.?” Really? Sort of like, ?“don?’t bother you with the facts just change something?”, right? What an embarrassment
If you don?’t like the fact that kids are graduating here in Pickerington with a descent education and a real appreciation for discipline, then move!!! That?’s right MOVE!!! To substitute leniency for excellence is STUPID! If these parents had their way PLSD would be doomed, just like Columbus, Grove Port Madison and all the other dysfunctional districts in central Ohio that have basically surrendered their school districts to unruly and undisciplined kids and their whiny parents! All because the kids are getting in school what they don?’t get at home ?– discipline!
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I talked to mine, too
Let me tell you, the kids that my kids have talked to at school are FURIOUS over this. They feel completely betrayed and victimized by the actions of this faction. Many of the kids my kids are friends with have been involved in incidents with minority students. They are constantly subjected to physical altercations in the hallways by minority students mostly in the form of being shoved into lockers or shoved out of the way. The females are constantly subjected to verbal and sexual harassment by minority males. All are subjected to verbal abuse and the onslaughts of vulgarity they assure me would never be tolerated by them.
I?’ll answer the question you will ask me ?– why don?’t they report it? Well, in most cases they do and nothing is done. Many of the incidents are witnessed by staff members who turn a blind eye because they don?’t want to get involved in a ?“racial dispute.?”
If what my kids and their friends tell me is true, and they are good kids who I don?’t catch lying, if all incidents were reported and discipline handed out appropriately, the numbers this AfrAm faction would be looking at would be significantly higher.
My sister?’s kids go to Ridgeview and apparently there has been an onslaught of black on black incidents. Is that the school?’s fault. It has been reported numerous times of B on B fights on buses. Teachers have allegedly been assaulted and both teachers and students transported from Ridgeview in ambulances.
I wonder if someone who reads this forum would make an inquiry for a public records request to the Pickerington PD and the Violet FD to get a copy of all calls to the city schools? Perhaps then we can begin to peel back this onion. The webmaster of this site appears to be a little more active in posting information to the site. I think these reports would be interesting reading.
Maybe there is another side to this story that the AfrAm faction is not reporting.
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