Since as far back as the 1990’s, Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) has pushed Black students, students with disabilities, and other impacted students into the school-to-prison-and-deportation pipeline through its rampant and uneven use of exclusionary discipline. The new report details a pattern of disparate discipline rates meted out to students in different categories of race and disability status that continues unabated even today, 8 years after MPS initially came under scrutiny and investigation by the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights. 

MPS continues to punish Black students more often and more severely than their white peers, even as evidence shows similar behavior across groups. This disproportionality, and the high suspension and expulsion rates in MPS, are core pillars of the school-to-prison-and-deportation pipeline.

For real change to happen, those most directly affected by the problem—and their expertise—must be centered in devising and implementing solutions. The young people who are most at risk of harm due to harsh disciplinary policies are uniquely situated to lead the dialogue about revamping the MPS discipline code and developing truly safe and equitable learning environments in Milwaukee.

Read the report here