The disparity amongst African American males in education has been a major concern for educators and policy makers nationwide for many years. Though various researchers have made implications to precisely correct the issue, African American males still perform significantly behind their peers. This dissertation examined how one of the most prevalent barriers to student success, discipline, affects the African American Male population in the Pee Dee region of South Carolina. Furthermore, the purpose of this dissertation was to provide school and district leaders, not only in the Pee Dee region, but nationwide, with undeviating data to consider when making policies regarding school discipline. The researcher used a collection of data from archived data files of the three selected high schools in the Pee Dee region of South Carolina with permission from the district office and verification from high school administrators. The researcher found that African American students received 92.2% of the school suspensions while their counterparts received approximately 7.8 percent. It was also found that exclusionary discipline was chiefly detrimental to the academic success of this population of students. African American 9th grade males in the Pee Dee region who faced the highest amount of school discipline also suffered significantly academically in reading and math. These findings indicate that schools and districts need to be intentional with professional development for teachers in the area of relationship building and also programs to curve unwarranted behavior such as Positive Behavior Interventions and Support, restorative justice and practices, and lastly mentorship programs. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]