There is extensive research on the racial disparities of Black students receiving exclusionary disciplinary consequences (Welch et al., 2002; Fenning & Rose, 2007; Fowler, 2011; Skiba et al., 2011; Skiba et al., 2014; Hirschfield, 2018). Khalifa et al. (2016) stated "the principalship is also the most recognizable position in a school, and the position most empowered by district, and even state, policy. It is also one held most accountable for progress or lack thereof" (p. 1274). Furthermore, leaders who lack critical self-awareness and comprehension regarding racism and other narratives of oppression are likely to continue with the reproduction of racism and the types of systemic oppression in their schools (Gooden & Dantley, 2012). Recent research has examined whether the implicit biases of school-based leaders influence subjective and objective disciplinary decisions. However, one knows that no matter how much cultural competence a school leader obtains by addressing implicit bias through professional development if school leaders "simply denuding the problem leaves the situation in a revelatory posture alone. Leaders must then be compelled to use their creativity to offer ways not only to call out racism but also for an agenda for transformation" (Gooden & Dantley, 2012, p. 243). Therefore, this phenomenological qualitative study examined how implicit bias influences principals' decision-making regarding exclusionary discipline policies and practices for Black students through Russell Sage College's Zoom platform. Using 12 semi-structured questions, an interview protocol was used to elicit responses and engage school-based leaders such as principals in New York State and Connecticut who discussed how they make disciplinary decisions for Black students and how implicit bias acts as an influence in their decision-making process. These school-based leaders also shared their specific roles as the final arbiters in the disciplinary process. Through exploring their reflections, school-based leaders discussed their decision-making process for whether and how severe a punishment should be appropriated to Black students. This research was guided by the following questions: (1) What are the perspectives of principals when selecting and appropriating a disciplinary consequence? (2) How do principals describe their discipline decision-making process? (3) How might implicit bias interfere with a principal's disciplinary decision-making process? This study identified several key findings, including the realization that school-based leaders recognize that race plays a significant role in whether Black students will be suspended due to the historical inequities that occurred in the United States of America. This study has concluded that there is an acknowledgment from school-based leaders that current disciplinary practices and consequences negatively impact Black students academically and socially. Further, school-based leaders detailed how removing Black students from school through exclusionary practices impeded their ability to engage in learning and exposed them to other influences. Additionally, the need for more professional development in conducting an in-depth investigation into discipline numbers to understand the underlying circumstance or consider discipline disparity issues creates a sense of urgency to examine data more than superficially. And yet, identifying non-exclusionary disciplinary practices and approaches like restorative justice practices has proved to be challenging. Finally, school-based leaders understand that other influences impact the disproportionality of Black students being overrepresented in exclusionary disciplinary consequences like teachers' attitudes and judgments that influence student disciplinary procedures and consequences when they are referred to the office for being disrespectful, teachers are also seen as first responders in how they address behavior management in their classrooms, and while school-based leaders embrace non-exclusionary practices and consequences the district and state mandate them to render zero-tolerance policies for infractions like having weapons or physically violent altercations. [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.]