Newton Public Schools suspended about 30 percent fewer students during the 2014-15 school year, below, Wicked Local Newton’s Jonathan Dame reports.
However…
The district suspended black and Latino students, students with disabilities, high-needs students and low-income students at disproportionately high rates, mirroring trends observed statewide.
The out-of-school suspension rate dropped from 4.9 percent to 1.3 percent for black students; from 4.2 percent to 1.5 percent for economically disadvantaged students, and from 4 percent to 1.7 percent for students with disabilities.
The out-of-school suspension rate for white students, meanwhile, dropped from 1.1 to 0.5 percent.
Growing up poor in Newton, my primary group of friends from elementary through high school participated in the METCO program, meaning that they were mostly minority students who came to Newton from cities such as Dorchester and Mattapan. I commend the Commonwealth for taking this important issue seriously (as evidenced by statewide regulations), and encourage Newton to do more to proactively address the root causes of these types of problems as there’s no question that we can do better.
A nationwide problem with a clear local dimension right here at home. It’s beyond time to correct this injustice. Before day 1 of kindergarten, back at Angier School, the “system” had already fast-tracked one child in my class for special scrutiny that would follow him for the rest of his life in the Newton Public Schools. Even then, I didn’t understand it, but now it’s a different kind of not understanding it. In both points in my life looking at the situation, it was already quite clear skin color was playing a role in the disparate treatment. It’s disturbing that people can look at a five-year-old child and think “Oh here’s a problem requiring heavy discipline.” Things may be getting better, but there are clearly still too many people in positions of authority/evaluation who don’t see young people of color as *children* in the way they see young white students, even unconsciously.
@Bill: I recognize your political ambition, but you’re grossly overstating the problem here in Newton, which is an issue within itself as such fundamental misunderstandings have the potential of shifting the conversation away from identifying root causes and, more importantly, the creation/implementation of real solutions. As someone who understands these issues particularly well based on real life experience and education, I’d enjoy learning more about your perspective on this stuff. That’s especially true for anything related to the criminal justice system or judiciary.