Resources for new K-12 discipline rules

The state (finally!) finalized new K-12 student discipline rules. Following are some resources from the Superintendent of Public Instruction's office.

Why is this important? 

Students with IEPs are about 2.5 times more likely to be suspended or expelled than students without IEPs. African American students also face high rates of exclusion and are about 2.6 times more likely to be suspended or expelled than white students.

• You can look up data here

What is new? 

The new discipline rules require schools to take a “prevention-based” approach, meaning that an attempt is made to correct a behavior before it requires discipline. The new rules also work to curb “informal suspensions.” If a child needs to be removed from class for the duration of a day, schools must to inform parents about the classroom exclusion as soon as possible. If parents are called to pick up their child, that should be documented and treated as a suspension. The parent guide (link below) goes into details.

The rules are being phased in. Links below detail which ones roll out this year, and which come next year.

Family Resources

• New Discipline Rules Family Quick Guide
• Discipline in Schools: A Parent Guide

District and Community Resources

• New Student Discipline Rules Q&A: A Technical Guide
• 2018–19 Discipline Rules PDF Version
• 2019–20 Discipline Rules PDF Version

Discipline rules change, but will it matter?

What will move the needle for students with disabilities?

• Respond by NOV 13. Here is how.
• Compare proposed and existing rules
• See stories and resources from the ACLU of Washington, at bottom

Courtesy of the ACLU of Washington

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Students receiving special education services
face the second highest discipline rates in Washington.

For years, advocates have worked to implement social emotional learning, positive behavior interventions and supports, and de-escalation strategies to help schools prevent avoidable disciplinary issues. And while some schools and districts have made headway, prevention strategies as a general practice are still not required by the state and are not uniformly supported through professional development.

In 2013, new legislation and advocacy efforts put a spotlight on discipline. Data showed schools suspended and expelled certain types of students more than others; and students of color faced more severe discipline for the same offenses.

Courtesy of the ACLU of Washington

In the years since, discipline rates have fallen for some subgroups of students:

• 7.4 to 6.6 percent in 2016 for American Indians over the last 4 years, and
• 10.3 to 8 percent for African American students in that time

But rates for students in special education have hovered near 8 percent. The needle hasn’t moved nearly enough for students of color, and hasn’t moved much at all for kids with disabilities.

How to weigh in on student discipline rules

In 2016, the state legislature passed House Bill 1541 to tackle some of the issues causing opportunity gaps in education. Part of this involved changing how schools could discipline students. That, in turn, required updating state discipline rules to govern how these changes in the law would be enforced.

If you are a parent or student, these rules tell you what schools are supposed to be doing and what should or should not be happening when a student is suspended or expelled.

The proposed discipline rule changes are now ready for review, and the public has several ways to weigh in on them. (See Attend a Public Hearing and Send Written Comments, below.)

• What prompted the changes - background from the ACLU of Washington

 

FIRST, WHAT'S NEW?

• Districts still need to offer educational services to students, even if students are excluded from the classroom.
• The state put parameters on when long-term suspension or expulsion can be used and defined "discretionary discipline." For instance, students cannot be expelled for violating the dress code or using an electronic device (though they can be disciplined).