FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: media@edtrust.org

August 18, 2026

Ignoring Race Does Not Make School Discipline Race Neutral. It Makes Inequities Harder to Confront
Statement from Eric Duncan, EdTrust’s director of P-12 policy on the U.S. Department of Education’s new guidance restricting consideration of race in school discipline

WASHINGTON – “The Department of Education sent a message today: race doesn’t matter. But the fact is, you cannot address racial disparities in school discipline by telling schools to ignore race. The data is too clear, and the consequences for Black students are too dire.

“Black students have long faced some of the harshest discipline in our nation’s schools. Black boys make up roughly 8% of students but 18% of students suspended, while Black girls make up roughly 8% of students but 14% of students suspended. Black students also lose five times as many instructional days as white students because of disproportionate discipline.

“And these disparities start before kindergarten. Black children represented just 18% of preschool enrollment but 47% of preschool students who received one or more out-of-school suspensions. We are talking about 3- and 4-year-olds being pushed out of classrooms at more than twice their share of enrollment. This isn’t due to bad behavior; they just get punished more. When racial disparities are already this stark among our youngest learners, telling schools that race shouldn’t be considered doesn’t solve the problem. It makes the problem easier to ignore.

“These startling statistics represent children being removed from classrooms, losing critical learning time, and being disconnected from the teachers, school counselors, and communities that should be supporting their success. This will ultimately impact how students view school and students’ educational outcomes while undermining academic achievement.

“At a time when schools are working to address chronic absenteeism, unfinished learning, and persistent gaps in opportunity and achievement, we should be focused on keeping students in classrooms, not making it harder for educators and school leaders to understand why some students are being pushed out at dramatically higher rates.

“Ignoring race does not make school discipline race neutral. It simply makes inequities harder to confront.

“Schools must be able to examine who is being suspended, expelled, or referred to law enforcement, why those decisions are being made, and whether students are being treated differently for similar behavior. That is not preferential treatment. It is basic accountability to ensure all students are valued.

“Every student deserves a school that is safe, supportive, and fair. Protecting that promise requires confronting disparities where they exist, not pretending they disappear when we stop talking about race.”

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