Addressing Disproportionality in Discipline Practices

Post date: Mar 07, 2013 8:29:5 PM

In the third year of PBIS implementation, Fenton High School in Fenton CHSD 100 reached Tier 1 fidelity and experienced positive changes in their schoolwide culture with a 21% decrease in office discipline referrals (ODRs) between 2010-11 and 2011-12.  For the first semester of 2012-13, they had a 12% decrease in ODRs compared to the same time period in 2011-12, (August 1–November 9). To increase awareness of inequities in the use of punitive discipline practices, also known as disproportionality, the Tier 1 team began reviewing ODR data by ethnicity during 2011-12, and have already seen a more proportionate percentage of ODRs for Hispanic students.  During the first semester of the 2011-12 school year, Hispanic students represented 49% of the total school population but received 61% of ODRs (12% over representation).  During the same time period of 2012-13, Hispanic students’ overrepresentation decreased by 3%. Staff cited sustained PBIS implementation with fidelity, including consistent use of data in team meetings, as factors leading to interventions that benefit all students.