Addressing the Racial School Discipline Gap

Students of Color Are Suspended at Three Times the Rate of White Students

Every year, U.S. public schools suspend enough students to fill 45 Super Bowl stadiums—nearly 3.5 million, amounting to nearly 18 million missed days of school. It’s a policy that negatively affects learning of all students, but in the United States, of course, there is also a racial gap: Studies show students of color are suspended at three times the rate of white students.

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An image of the November 2026 issue of Sojourners, titled "Face to Face." It features George Lakey on the cover
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