The Biden administration on Tuesday issued new school discipline guidelines to curb the high rates of suspensions and expulsions, as well as prevent and eliminate discrimination, against students with disabilities.
The discipline guidelines provide clarifications to rules the schools in the U.S. must follow to provide “substantial resources to support the challenging work of setting all students up for success and meeting their academic, behavioural, and mental health needs.”
Federal data found that the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act represented 13.2 per cent of the total student enrollment in 2017-2018, but received 23.3 per cent of all expulsions with educational services and 14.8 per cent of expulsions without education services.
Experts say these expulsions may lead to student isolation and a decline in work ethic.
“Entire school communities benefit when all students feel safe, seen, and supported,” Cardona said. “It’s also vital to recognize that — while academic learning is crucial — students will struggle to succeed in school if they are not given opportunities to develop their social and emotional skills, like collaborating with others, persisting through challenging tasks, and managing conflict”
Schools have struggled recently due to pandemic-related learning disruption and an increase in student mental health challenges.
