A Tennessee bill that could empower teachers to remove students with chronic discipline problems from their classrooms is moving quickly through the state House of Representatives while also raising concerns that it might disproportionately affect students of color or students with disabilities.
The Teacher’s Discipline Act would create a uniform referral process allowing teachers to petition for removal of a student who repeatedly or substantially interferes with classroom learning. The proposal is backed by the Professional Educators of Tennessee, which says out-of-control behavior by some students is driving teachers out of the profession.
However, several student advocacy groups believe the legislation could unfairly affect some historically underserved students. Decades of research shows that schools disproportionately discipline students who are Black or who have special needs. Advocates worry that those students would be far more likely than their classmates to be disciplined, removed from the classroom, suspended or even expelled under the legislation.
The bill has resurrected the perennial debate over how to help teachers manage disruptive, aggressive or violent student behavior without targeting disadvantaged students for disciplinary action that could cause them to fall behind academically or even drop out of school.
“There comes a point when we have to do something different for the other 29 kids in the classroom who want to learn. We have to discipline the child,” Rep. Scott Cepicky told Chalkbeat on Monday.