Following news that New York City public schools’ suspension rate fell by 17 percent last year, the city has announced steps aiming to further decrease these numbers. With this reduction, however, we must consider the extent in which minority students are still subject to disproportionate disciplinary action. Especially in the aftermath of the viral video depicting a police officer throwing a black student to the ground in a South Carolina school, it is imperative to discuss the relationship between discipline and race in the classrooms. While it is a delight to see the New York City education board working to minimize suspensions and to encourage positive discipline, school boards all across the nation must focus on closing the racial discipline disparity.

With nearly 15 years of data from the nation’s 97,000 public schools, the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has found a pattern of inequality in the schools where race played a central factor. The National Center for Education Statistics reported that in 2007, 49 percent of black students and 26.5 percent of Hispanic students were suspended in public high schools compared to only 17.7 percent of white students. Similarly, the data gathered also showed that 10.3 percent of black students were expelled while only 1.1 percent of white students were expelled. The fact that race remains a significant component of discipline illustrates a new form of racism and inequality in the classrooms — a place that should provide a safe environment for learning.

Another disturbing trend with racial undertones in the nation’s education system is the school-to-prison pipeline, in which a large number of students are pushed into the juvenile and criminal justice system from public schools. With increased police presence in schools along with harsh zero-tolerance policies, many students — primarily students of color — are forced to face adult consequences. The school-to-prison pipeline is an undeniable concern, as statistics demonstrate that 70 percent of students involved in “in-school” arrests or law enforcement are black or Latino while 40 percent of students expelled from U.S. schools annually were black. School-to-prison pipeline as well as the zero-tolerance policy and police presence in schools are all aspects that must be eliminated in order to foster an impartial and positive learning atmosphere for all students alike.

The racial disparity persists in New York City, where 52 percent of all suspensions were given to black students even though they make up less than 28 percent of the public school population. The reduced number of suspensions in New York City schools should be seen as ticket to further promote positive behavior regulation and reduce overall suspension and expulsion. Ultimately, the New York City education board and schools across the United States must work to pursue an equal disciplinary system not determined by a student’s skin color.

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Email Sunny Hong at [email protected].