NEW REPORT SHOWS THAT BLACK GIRLS FACE HARSHER OVERALL DISCIPLINE IN U.S. PUBLIC SCHOOLS

In today’s educational landscape, Black girls encounter a troubling reality: they face disproportionate and harsher disciplinary measures compared to their peers of other races. Per a new report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), data reveals that Black girls face harsher overall discipline in public schools nationwide.The report, commissioned by Democratic lawmakers including Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, examines disciplinary disparities and highlights alarming trends.“This new report, it’s damning. It affirms what we’ve known all along that Black girls continue to face a crisis of criminalization in our schools,” Congresswoman Pressley said exclusively in an interview with NPR. “And the only way we can address this crisis is through intentional, trauma-informed policy. And Congress must act.”During the 2017-18 school year, Black girls, who constitute only 15% of female students, accounted for nearly half of all exclusionary disciplinary actions, such as suspensions and expulsions. Specifically, they represented 45% of out-of-school suspensions, 37% of in-school suspensions, and 43% of expulsions for behaviors often categorized as “defiance” or “disruption.” Disturbingly, Black girls faced discipline at rates 3 to 5.2 times higher than those of white girls, and these rates increased for those with disabilities.Congresswoman Pressley characterized the findings...