LDF applauds the introduction of the Keep Kids in School Act by Senator Robert Casey (D-PA), a member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP). The bill promotes positive and inclusive school climates and addresses discipline disparities. For example, African American students are suspended or expelled at three times the rate of their white peers, according to the Civil Rights Data Collection issued by the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights.
Senator Casey’s bill would provide support to schools with high discipline disparities in order to encourage usage of inclusive discipline best practices, such as professional development training for teachers on classroom management. LDF, along with other civil rights, education, and disability rights organizations, support this bill and urge its inclusion in the Senate’s reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).
