School Discipline Policies Waste Money

By Kirsten Bokenkamp Senior Communications Strategist The ACLU of Texas has long argued that Texas needs to change the way it disciplines school children.  Current discipline policies often push children out of school – into the school-to-prison pipeline – instead of creating positive learning environments to keep kids in school.  We don’t disagree that student misbehavior is a serious issue, but children should not be ticketed, sent to court and disciplinary programs, and blasted with fines for acting out.  Setting aside basic human rights concerns, the punitive approach simply does not work.  Once suspended or expelled from school, children are much more likely to end up dropping out of school and ending up in the juvenile justice system.  The next stop for many of them … prison.  And, children of color and special education students are disciplined at much higher rates than their peers. If these reasons aren’t enough, these failed disciplinary policies are extremely expensive.  As Texas Appleseed recently noted, last year alone, Dallas spent more than $11 million on unfruitful discipline approaches while, at the same time, slashing overall spending to make up for state cuts to education aid.  It costs five times the amount ($57,000 a year) to send a student to an alternative school than to keep the child in a regular school.  This is unacceptable when campuses are closing and teachers are losing their jobs – especially when we know there are cheaper and more effective behavioral models such as Positive Behavior Intervention and Support (PBIS) programs.  PBIS works to create a positive learning environment and proactively address student misbehavior.  PBIS is an evidence-based way to better ensure that children stay in school – where they belong.  Help us get PBIS into all Texas schools - get involved with our Youth Rights Campaign.  Together, we will make a difference in the lives of Texas’ children.