The prevalence of racial disparities in discipline outcomes continues despite a prominence of new strategies and research. When implemented with fidelity, PBIS (Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports) is shown to contribute to reductions in school suspension, expulsion, and other positive educational outcomes. Despite its promise for making…

In this brief, recent actions related to school discipline, discipline disparities in schools, the school-to-prison pipeline, and the added costs of suspending students in the U.S. are explored. The recommendations offered focus on how school leaders and policy makers can address disparities and how school cultures can be changed to reduce the…

Historically, public school officials have acted without consideration for due process in issuing grades to students, in excluding students from school for academic failure, and in lowering grades as a means of disciplining students. The constitutionality of these actions is challenged and recent court cases are reviewed. (Author/KC)

Discusses the negative assumptions and outcomes of provisions in Britain's Education Act of 1997 dealing with expulsion of students. Presents some statistics on excluded children; discusses likely outcomes such as increased delinquency, parent-school acrimony, and disparity in schools. Describes the role of teachers' unions in drafting the bill…

Focuses on practical guidelines for the implementation of discipline policy at the local level, including suggestions for distinguishing discipline policy for disabled students from discipline policy affecting students in general. (MLF)

The overrepresentation of ethnic minority students, particularly African American males, in the exclusionary discipline consequences of suspension and expulsion has been consistently documented during the past three decades. Children of poverty and those with academic problems are also overrepresented in such discipline consequences. Sadly, a…

Discusses how PL94-142 may cause discipline dilemmas in schools, especially regarding suspension and expulsion, noting difficulties of determining separate discipline policies for handicapped and nonhandicapped students. Notes that the literature, the law, and the courts all point to the need for options for dealing with disciplining special…

Legal considerations in student discipline policies, particularly expulsion, and the rights of handicapped students are discussed in this paper. The public school administrator's dilemma is to uphold students' legal rights while maintaining a safe learning environment for all students. A review of recent litigation concludes that implementation of…

Discussion of findings of a study in Scotland notes that it was possible to prevent disciplinary exclusion from school, that interagency collaboration was central to this, but that strategies to prevent school exclusion often meant young people were not very fully included in the mainstream curriculum. Relevant differences in policy and practice…

Discipline of handicapped students is the topic of the lead article in this publication. The author first reviews recent cases regarding expulsion of handicapped students, including "Kaelin v. Grubbs," a 1982 case finding that the same due process procedures that apply to changing the educational placement for handicapped students must…

A brief history of corporal punishment in the public schools, a review of major federal court decisions regarding corporal punishment and due process for students, and an analysis of current trends in disciplinary policy are presented in this report. The conservative trend revealed in school discipline is identified in large part as a response to…

Any action by a public school that interrupts access of handicapped students to an appropriate education is regulated by federal laws, including the Education of the Handicapped Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. Disciplinary sanctions such as suspensions and expulsions are included among these interruptions. Decisions in three court…

The controversial discipline provisions of the 1997 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) are examined. It is suggested the provisions may serve to encourage systemic reform capable of dramatically affecting the educational and postsecondary careers of students with emotional or behavioral disorders and may assist in curbing…

Dr. Mitchell Yell, an expert in special-education law, is interviewed on the 1997 amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act that will affect the discipline of students with disabilities. He addresses suspension and expulsion of students with disabilities, the required manifestation determination hearing, and…

This booklet looks at selected recent court cases dealing with a number of questions regarding P.L. 94-142 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973: (1) What is meant by "free appropriate" education? (2) Which services are considered "related services" and thus obligatory upon schools? (3) What procedural protections…