THIS WEEK IN EDUCATION NEWS
Last week, the Times Free Press reported on a recent report from the Tennessee Department of Education that flagged 25 school districts for disproportionately disciplining students with disabilities – especially black children with disabilities. Hamilton County Schools was one of them.
The original story stated that black students made up 56.5 percent of the suspensions of students with disabilities from Hamilton County schools during the 2017-18 school year.
But black students only account for 25.5 percent of all students with disabilities. In fact, all races other than white only make up 38.9 percent of students with disabilities.
Some say there’s work to be done. And not just for students with disabilities.
This year, Superintendent Bryan Johnson’s team, headed by Chief of Operations Ken Bradshaw, is reviewing the district’s code of acceptable behavior, or student code of conduct. District leaders along with more than a dozen school administrators are rethinking rules, procedures and discipline.
Johnson hopes to have a new code rolled out by the beginning of the next school year.