How do black students suffer
Institutional racism doesn’t just affect adults but children in K-12 schools as well. Anecdotes from families, research studies and discrimination lawsuits all reveal that children of color face bias in schools. They’re disciplined more harshly, less likely to be identified as gifted or to have access to quality teachers, to name but a few examples.
Racism in schools has serious consequences—from fueling the school-to-prison pipeline to traumatizing children of color.
Black students are three times more likely to be suspended or expelled than their white peers, according to the U.S. Department of Education. And in the American South, racial disparities in punitive discipline are even greater. A 2016 report from the University of Pennsylvania, Center for the Study of Race and Equity in Education, found that 13 Southern states (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia) were responsible for 55 percent of the 1.2 million suspensions involving black students nationwide.
These states also accounted for 50 percent of expulsions involving black students nationally, according to the report, “Disproportionate Impact of K-12 School Suspension and Expulsion on Black Students in Southern States.” The finding most indicative of racial bias is that in 84 Southern school districts, 100 percent of students suspended were black.
And grade school students aren’t the only black children facing harsh forms of school discipline. Even black preschool students are more likely to be suspended than students of other races, the U.S. Department of Education found. The agency reported that while blacks make up just 18 percent of children in preschool, they represent nearly half of preschool children suspended.
“I think most people would be shocked that those numbers would be true in preschool because we think of 4- and 5-years-olds as being innocent,” Judith Browne Dianis, co-director of think tank the Advancement Project told CBS News about the finding. “But we do know that schools are using zero tolerance policies for our youngest also, that while we think our children need a head start, schools are kicking them out instead.”
Preschool children sometimes engage in troublesome behavior such as kicking, hitting and biting, but quality preschools have behavior intervention plans in place to counter these forms of acting out. Furthermore, it’s highly unlikely that only black children act out in preschool, a stage in life in which kids are notorious for having temper tantrums.
Given how black preschoolers are disproportionately targeted for suspensions, it’s very likely that race plays a role in which children teachers single out for punitive discipline. In fact, a study published in Psychological Science in 2016 suggests that whites begin to perceive black boys as threatening at just 5 years old, associating them with adjectives such as “violent,” “dangerous,” “hostile” and “aggressive.”
The negative racial biases black children face, and the correlated high suspension rates result in African American children missing a great deal of school. This can lead to them falling behind academically, including not reading at grade level by third grade, and eventually dropping out of school. Pushing children out of class increases the chances that they will have contact with the criminal justice system. And a 2015 study published on children and suicide suggested that punitive discipline may be one of the reasons suicides among black boys are rising.
Of course, black boys aren’t the only African American children targeted for punitive discipline in school. Black girls are more likely than all other female students (and some groups of boys) to be suspended or expelled as well.
Here is an example:
A substitute teacher was escorted from a Missouri school – and banned from working for the district – after allegedly making racist and threatening comments to two middle school students.
The incident was Jan. 16 at Hickory Hills Elementary and Middle School in Springfield.
Jean Hawkins said her eighth-grade son and his classmate, who are both black, walked into their technology class that Wednesday morning and were met by a male substitute teacher they did not know.
Hawkins said the substitute then made comments allegedly directed at them in front of the class.
"The teacher tells them, 'I was told to shoot you black boys. You black boys are nothing but trouble,'" Hawkins said. "He said, 'I've been told to shoot you.'"
Hawkins said her 14-year-old son was unsure how to react.
"He just looked at him (the teacher) and he couldn't believe what he was saying. He was like 'Wow,'" she said. "He didn't know if he should run."
She said the two students took their seats and class started without further incident. At some point, a different student either asked to be excused from the classroom or waited until passing period to go to the front office.
"He doesn't know who told," she said.
A school administrator investigated the incident, and the substitute teacher, who has not been named publicly, was escorted off the school property.
Stephen Hall, chief communications officer for Springfield Public Schools, confirmed the school received a report that day regarding the incident.
"These alleged comments are disturbing, unacceptable, and are completely at odds with who we are as a school district," he said.
Substitute teachers are employed by the Springfield-based company Penmac Education Staffing, not the district. The district contracts with Penmac to recruit, train, evaluate and monitor a pool of eligible substitutes.
"Immediately upon learning of these allegations, our administrator notified Penmac of the situation and escorted the substitute from the building," Hall said. "There is zero tolerance for any comment like those described. SPS remains committed to ensuring that all of our students thrive in a learning environment where they feel safe, welcomed and respected."
Hall said the district took an additional step.
"Because of that commitment and our refusal to accept any behavior that fails to meet those standards, we can confirm that this individual was removed from the list of eligible SPS substitutes, on the same day the allegations were made, and will not return to SPS in any capacity," Hall said.
"We assure our students, parents and staff that timely and appropriate steps were taken to address this situation in accordance with the policies outlined in our partnership with Penmac.”
Hawkins said she learned about the incident from her son when he returned home after school. She immediately quizzed him about the circumstances to see if he or his friend had done anything to draw extra attention from the substitute.
"They were just walking into class normal," she said. "They weren't late. That was my first question."
She questioned why she had to hear about the comments from her son and not a school official. The next morning, she called and talked to a principal.
"I don't appreciate the school not calling me and telling me my son's life was threatened by a teacher," she said. "It's frustrating. I just want my son safe and other kids safe."
Hawkins said she lodged a complaint with Penmac and has requested the name of the substitute, but it has not been provided.
She wants to know if the man is still employed as a substitute teacher and able to work in area districts.
"I want something done about this. Maybe this man will be somewhere else," she said. "It's just scary. I don't even know who he is."
Penmac Education Staffing posted a statement regarding the incident early Thursday: "We take these allegations seriously; there is absolutely no tolerance for such behavior. The substitute teacher in question is suspended from all new assignments pending a full investigation in partnership with Springfield Public Schools."