MDHR reaches agreements with 9 additional school districts and charter schools to reduce disparities in suspensions for students with disabilities, students of color

MDHR analysis showed Minnesota students of color comprise 31 percent of the student population, yet receive 66 percent of all suspensions and expulsions; students with disabilities comprise 14 percent of the student population, yet receive 43 percent of all suspensions and expulsions.

ST. PAUL, MN – The Minnesota Department of Human Rights has reached collaborative agreements with nine more Minnesota public school districts and charter schools to reduce the disparities in suspension and expulsion rates for students with disabilities, American Indian students, and students of color.

Nine additional school districts and charter schools have recently entered into agreements with MDHR. Those districts and charters are: Bemidji Public Schools, Columbia Heights Public Schools, Hopkins Public Schools, Minnesota Transitions Charter School, Prodeo Academy, Onamia Public Schools, Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan/District 196, Saint Paul Public Schools, and Winona Public Schools.

“I want to thank these educators for their willingness to tackle this issue head-on,” said MDHR Commissioner Kevin Lindsey. “These leaders should be commended for working to reduce suspension disparities for students with disabilities and students of color while maintaining safe environments for all. These efforts will help build a stronger Minnesota that is ready to embrace the dramatic demographic changes in our near future as our population ages and becomes more diverse.”

The collaborative agreements respect local control by allowing school officials to develop strategies tailored to their own charter school or district to redirect student behavior, support staff, and communicate with their community. These three-year agreements between MDHR and districts and charter schools provide:

• Parents, students, school personnel, and the educational community will be given meaningful opportunities to provide feedback and qualitative assessment of practices and policies,

• Participation on a Diversion Committee to facilitate sharing best practices on reducing suspension, cultural competency, and increasing student engagement, 

• Data collection, training practices, discipline policies, and behavior management strategies will be consistently implemented, and

• Semi–annual reports to the Department detailing efforts to implement their plan.

None of the agreements prohibit suspensions. In addition, the focus of this collaborative work is not student discipline resulting from behavior causing safety concerns, such as fighting, student possession of weapons, or illegal drugs. 

Annually, more than one-third of all suspension and expulsion decisions by school officials are for behavior incidents classified as ‘insubordination, disruptive, and disorderly conduct.’ Examples of such behavior by students include rolling eyes, walking away from school personnel before a conversation is over, talking back to school personnel, making inappropriate remarks or sounds, or swearing. It is for behavior incidents like these that MDHR and these districts and charter schools are collaborating to find teachable moments and reduce their reliance on suspension as a consequence to these behaviors. Nationally, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and Office of Civil Rights has recently issued a report that aligns with the efforts of MDHR and these districts and charter schools to use suspension as a last resort.  

“Saint Paul Public Schools will continue its work to reduce suspensions and expulsions for students of color, American Indian students, and those with disabilities. The District also welcomes the opportunity to continue to collaborate with others to explore solutions for these complex and statewide issues,” said Dr. Joe Gothard, Superintendent, Saint Paul Public Schools.

“The future of Minnesota is in the hands of our educational leaders right now. We have to be very deliberate in this process—and we have to get it right,” said Dr. Rhoda Mhiripiri-Reed, Hopkins Public Schools Superintendent. “Our kids can’t wait. We have been working since day one to ensure that every child finds success in Hopkins Public Schools.”   

“We are deeply engaged in this work at Onamia, we all prioritize the importance of being the most culturally competent school we can be, and we are continuing to make great progress in our District in many areas,” said JJ Vold, Onamia Public Schools Superintendent. “In January, we implemented a new innovative Alternative to Suspension (A2S) initiative, and although the program is still young and evolving, we are making great progress and have already reduced out of school suspensions in our schools. The program has an academic component staffed by various licensed teachers, a social worker that works with kids on behavioral change and social skills, and a special education component when needed to ensure that accommodations and support are always met throughout the day.”  

“I am excited to Chair the Student Engagement Committee, to really bring a cultural focus to our conversations, and to see where this work takes us in our efforts to all being the greatest public schools we can possibly become for all students and families that we serve in our great communities across Minnesota,” Vold said.   

National, Minnesota suspensions data reveal disparities, opportunities to address barriers

According to the Federal Civil Rights Data Collection and the Government Accountability Office (GAO), nationally: 

• Black students are suspended and expelled at a rate three times greater than white students.

• Students of color remain more likely to be identified as having a disability and face harsher discipline than their white classmates.

Last fall, MDHR met with Minnesota districts and charter schools after reviewing the most recent five years of public data reported by schools and districts to the Minnesota Department of Education’s Discipline Incident Reporting System (DIRS). MDHR analysis of DIRS data showed that Minnesota’s rates of suspension are equal to or significantly higher than national rates. In Minnesota, students of color comprise 31 percent of the population, yet receive 66 percent of all suspensions and expulsions; students with disabilities comprise 14 percent of the population, yet receive 43 percent of all suspensions and expulsions.

The DIRS data indicated that:

• American Indian students were ten times more likely to be suspended or expelled than their white peers.
• African–American students were eight times more likely to be suspended or expelled than their white peers.
• Students of color were twice more likely to be suspended or expelled than their white peers. 
• Students with disabilities were twice more likely to be suspended or expelled than their peers without disability. 

If you believe you have been discriminated against in violation of the Minnesota Human Rights Act, please contact MDHR’s enforcement unit at 651.539.1100, 1.800.657.3704, or online at mn.gov/mdhr/intake. For more information about disability discrimination, please visit mn.gov/mdhr, or follow the conversation on Twitter at Twitter at @mnhumanrights. 

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