Tracing discipline disparities: racial inequities in Virginia schools

Abstract In the United States, Virginia has been reported as a state with notable disparities in school disciplinary actions, particularly affecting Black students. This study utilizes publicly available data from the Virginia Department of Education’s Safe Schools Information Resource to examine variation in the use of exclusionary discipline across divisions from 2016 to 2020. By calculating a Discipline Disparity Index, the analysis compares suspension rates of Black and White students and considers how these patterns relate to student demographics, per-pupil expenditure, and poverty levels. In addition to quantitative analysis, the study situates these disparities within existing research on exclusionary discipline and the school-to-prison pipeline, emphasizing the long-term harms associated with exclusionary discipline. The aim is to provide a better understanding of how inequities in school discipline emerge and what structural factors may contribute to them, highlighting the role of schools as potential gateways to or barriers against social mobility.