UCLA Report Says Out-of-School Suspensions Reveal ‘Hidden Crisis’ in California

Researchers at UCLA have released a shocking report showing 400,000 California students were suspended from school in 2009 — enough to fill all the professional baseball and football stadiums in the state.

The new study from the Civil Rights Project at UCLA also finds that many California school districts suspend large percentages of students. The first-of-its-kind analysis shows that 10 districts suspended 25% of their students in the 2009-2010. The report, Suspended Education in California’s Public Schools, shows large disparities for students of color and students with disabilities, but it also finds high numbers of suspensions regardless of a student’s race.

“Most suspensions are for minor or vague infractions, such as disrespect, defiance and dress code violations, and this is clearly an unsound educational policy,” says coauthor Daniel Losen. “The numbers in our report indicate an absolute crisis in many California districts since suspending students out of school – with no guarantee of adult supervision – greatly increases the risk for dropping out and involvement in the juvenile justice system.”

The California Department of Education reported over 750,000 total suspensions for the same year, meaning many students were suspended two, three or even more times.

Click here to read the report from the Center for Civil Rights Remedies at the Civil Rights Project at UCLA.

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