OJJDP Administrator Robert L. Listenbee (right) and Harold Jordan, Senior Policy Advocate of the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania (and coordinating council member of the Dignity in Schools Campaign) at the July 22, 2015, Rethink School Discipline Conference.

On July 22, 2015, the White House hosted Rethink School Discipline, a national convening on improving school discipline practices and creating positive school climates. The event brought together leaders from the Departments of Justice (DOJ), Education (ED), and Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration as well as schools and nonprofit organizations around the country.

The stakeholders gathered to advance the conversation about replacing overused out-of-school suspensions, expulsions, and referrals to law enforcement with positive, effective alternatives that keep students in school and engaged in learning while holding them accountable for their actions.

The conference highlighted tools and resources from the Supportive School Discipline Initiative (a project sponsored jointly by DOJ and ED in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) and offered best practices that communities can use to help children succeed and avoid contact with the juvenile and criminal justice systems.

OJJDP Administrator Robert L. Listenbee introduced U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch, thanking her for her work in support of the nation’s youth. “We are fortunate to have an Attorney General who is a champion for America’s young people, who supports effective collaboration to ensure that fair and equal treatment is the standard for all systems that serve our nation’s youth,” Mr. Listenbee said.

In her remarks, Attorney General Lynch discussed DOJ’s priorities, which include “making sure that all of our nation’s young people have an opportunity … to grow and to thrive no matter who they are, what they look like, or where they are from.” The Attorney General cited several federal initiatives, such as the OJJDP-supported Defending Childhood Initiative and National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention, that promote opportunities for young people and help them to break out of the cycle of violence. She described harsh and exclusionary discipline practices in America’s schools as “a trip wire that sends young people stumbling—often headfirst—into a vicious cycle of criminality and incarceration.”

Panels and presentations throughout the day explored how ineffective school discipline can lead youth to future contact with the juvenile and criminal justice systems. Presenters discussed the psychology and science behind addressing discrimination in schools, the disparate treatment of children of color, and the need to provide children with gateways to opportunity rather than to the juvenile and criminal justice systems. Midday breakout discussions addressed such topics as identifying the causes of discipline disparities, developing effective codes of conduct, and offering alternatives to exclusionary school discipline.

In a panel titled “Framing the School Discipline Challenge,” Catherine Lhamon and Vanita Gupta, Assistant Secretary and Acting Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, respectively, discussed the racial disparity in school suspensions and expulsions, the crackdown on youth offenders in the name of public safety, and how the increase in harsh disciplinary policies and law enforcement officers in schools has led to a rise in the number of students arrested or becoming involved in the juvenile and criminal justice systems.

Mr. Listenbee and Chief Judge Steven C. Teske of the Clayton County (GA) Juvenile Court at the July 22, 2015, convening.

One of the breakout sessions was a discussion on “Rules for Law Enforcement and the Courts” featuring Ronald L. Davis, Director of DOJ’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services; Jennifer Eberhardt of Stanford University; Lisa H. Thurau, founder of Strategies for Youth; and Judge Steven C. Teske of the Clayton County (GA) Juvenile Court. The participants stressed the critical need to build relationships among law enforcement and young people in the community, to look for and address situations in which discrimination is likely, to ensure clarity regarding the role of law enforcement in schools, and to respond to disruptive behavior with creative solutions.

John Rosiak, consultant to the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges provided a report out on the session to the wider audience and highlighted OJJDP’s new School Justice Collaboration program, which aims to enhance collaboration and coordination among schools, mental and behavioral health specialists, law enforcement, and juvenile justice officials to help students succeed in school and prevent negative outcomes for youth and communities.

“Creating and sustaining safe, supportive schools is absolutely essential to ensuring students can engage in the rich learning experiences they need for success in college, work, and life,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan in his remarks to conference attendees. Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services Assistant Secretary Michael Yudin and several senior Obama Administration officials also attended the conference.

Resources:

Visit the National Clearinghouse on Supportive School Discipline for resources and information to advance school discipline reform efforts.

Download the reports, Addressing the Root Causes of Disciplinary Disparities: An Educator's Action Planning Guide and Rethink School Discipline: School District Leader Summit on Improving School Climate and Discipline - Resource Guide for Superintendent Action, on the Education Department’s website.

Use the hashtag #RethinkDiscipline to continue the conversation on social media.