Lawmakers are pushing for a groundbreaking pilot program at eight Virginia schools to transform school discipline by replacing punishment-first approaches with restorative practices aimed at racial disparities and supporting students. Black students and students with disabilities are disproportionately removed from classrooms for behavioral issues, according to a study by the Legal Aid Justice Center. The […]
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The Virginia state Capitol in January, 2025. (Photo by Markus Schmidt/Virginia Mercury)
Lawmakers are pushing for a groundbreaking pilot program at eight Virginia schools to transform school discipline by replacing punishment-first approaches with restorative practices aimed at racial disparities and supporting students.
Blackstudentsandstudentswithdisabilitiesaredisproportionatelyremovedfromclassroomsforbehavioralissues,accordingtoastudybytheLegalAidJusticeCenter.ThestudyfoundthatBlackstudentsmadeup21%ofVirginia’sstudentpopulationbutfacedamuchhighershareofdisciplinaryactions.Similarly,studentswithdisabilities,whorepresent13%ofthepopulation,aredisciplinedatdispropo
