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Miami Herald
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Some states reexamine school discipline as Trump order paves go-ahead
In the wake of President Donald Trump's executive order aiming to reinstate "common sense" school discipline, more states may follow and expand the authority of teachers and school officials to deal with disruptive students. The order, signed in April, repeals prior federal guidance that encouraged schools to address racial disparities in discipline, arguing that such policies promoted "discriminatory equity ideology" and compromised school safety by pressuring administrators to underreport serious student misconduct. In some states, new legislation already is trending toward giving teachers more authority to address student misbehavior. In West Virginia, for example, a new law creates a structured process for responding to violent, threatening or disruptive behavior among students in grades K-6. Under the law, a student exhibiting such behavior can be immediately removed from class, evaluated by counselors or behavioral specialists and placed on an individualized behavior plan. If there's no improvement after two rounds of intervention, the student could be moved into a behavioral intervention program or an alternative learning environment. West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey, a Republican, and supporters say the law empowers teachers to maintain safe classrooms. "This legislation provides teachers with the tools to regain control of the classroom and ensure safe learning environments for our kids," Morrisey said at the bill's signing. In April, the Texas House of Representatives passed a bill referred to as the "Teacher's Bill of Rights" with a bipartisan vote of 124-20. That bill, now sitting in the Senate's education committee, would significantly expand the grounds for out-of-school suspensions, allowing students to be suspended for repeated disruptions or threats beginning in third grade. It would reverse earlier changes that limited suspensions for younger students. It also would mandate that students making terroristic threats or assaulting school employees be placed in alternative education programs for at least 30 days. Texas civil rights groups argue that the bill would impose a one-size-fits-all punitive approach, rather than addressing students' developmental and behavioral needs. Alycia Castillo, associate director of policy at the Texas Civil Rights Project and a former teacher, said state lawmakers are taking the wrong approach by mandating sweeping discipline policies for a state as diverse as Texas. During the 2020-21 school year, according to the latest data available from the U.S. Department of Education, Black students faced the highest rates of disciplinary action across all categories - suspension and expulsion - among all racial and ethnic groups. They were 39% more likely than white students to receive in-school suspensions, 70% more likely to face out-of-school suspensions, and 71% more likely to be expelled. The disparities were even starker for Black students with disabilities, who experienced suspension and expulsion rates far exceeding those of both their white peers and non-disabled students. Reviving old, harsh disciplinary policies risks disproportionately harming students of color, students with disabilities and those from low-income backgrounds, Castillo said. "What works in Austin may not work in West Texas," Castillo said. "Children are naturally disruptive - that's part of their development," she added. "Excluding them only harms their growth into functional adults." Restorative justice models In recent years, some other states have passed laws promoting restorative practices in schools, in which students and teachers work through problems and focus on repairing the harm caused by disruptions or conflict. Michigan's 2017 law requires schools to consider restorative approaches before suspensions or expulsions, aiming to repair harm rather than exclude students. Nevada began mandating restorative justice approaches in 2019, but scaled back that approach in 2023. This year, Maryland passed a law requiring the state to establish "restorative practices schools," specific schools with trained educators who use the approach in everyday discipline. Kimberly Hellerich, an assistant professor at Sacred Heart University and a former K-12 teacher, said discipline policies should go beyond punitive measures to foster accountability and community healing. "Adding restorative practices to accompany codes of conduct can allow students to recognize the impact of their actions on themselves, peers, the teacher, the class and the school community," Hellerich said. In her own classrooms, Hellerich used what she called "community circles" to guide students in processing behavior, offering apologies and rebuilding trust. "The apology served as a way to restore the student's relationship with the entire class community," she said. Calls for a cultural shift on expectations While lawmakers debate discipline procedures, other education advocates warn that an even deeper issue is unfolding inside classrooms: the gradual erosion of behavioral expectations and academic rigor. Jessica Bartnick, co-founder and CEO of the Dallas-based mentorship program Foundation for C.H.O.I.C.E., said that declining school discipline and lowered standards are quietly undermining educational outcomes. "Discipline is the backbone of effective learning," Bartnick, who supports the Texas legislation, told Stateline in an email. "Without it, classrooms become chaotic, instructional time is lost and teachers are forced to shift their focus from instruction to behavior management." Bartnick said efforts to promote equity sometimes inadvertently lower behavioral standards and deprive teachers of the tools they need to maintain safe learning environments. She also criticized lenient grading policies and unlimited test retakes, arguing that they diminish the value of preparation, responsibility and resilience. "If students are shielded from the discomfort of failure, they are also shielded from the growth that comes with it," she wrote. "If we want to prepare students for a world that will not offer endless second chances, we must return to a classroom culture grounded in discipline, responsibility, and rigor." ____ Stateline reporter Amanda Hernández contributed to this report. Stateline reporter Robbie Sequeira can be reached atrsequeira@ Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New Texas Senate plan takes teacher pay raises out of basic allotment formula
The Brief Senate Education Committee took up school funding on Thursday, May 15 Senate legislation much different from original House Bill 2 Total amount in funding remains at nearly $8 billion AUSTIN, Texas - State lawmakers are in a race with the clock to pass an education funding plan before the regular session ends on June 2. Members of the Senate Education Committee started taking up legislation much different from the bill that moved out of the state House a month ago. What we know The original plan for House Bill 2 was called the "Texas Two-Step" with the understanding that education funding would move through the legislature in tandem with Governor Greg Abbott's school choice plan. Members came in with a lot of questions after the 225-page re-write of HB 2 was posted Wednesday night. The total amount in funding remains at nearly $8 billion. The Senate version takes a different approach to how that money is to be spent by local school districts. It rolls in other bills that have increases for special education programs, school safety, and the Teacher's Bill of Rights. Dig deeper One of the most notable changes involves teacher pay raises and how the money will be distributed. There is an emphasis on helping rural teachers and all the money will come out of a newly created permanent fund that is separate from the basic allotment sent to school districts. That change has raised questions since the House version of HB 2 increases the allotment by nearly $400 per student, while the Senate plan is at $55. The gap, the committee was told is because teacher pay and some other priority initiatives are earmarked by the state and that the $55 adds up to $800 million for local school boards to focus on support staff. What they're saying "So we're shifting billions of dollars permanently off of the basic allotted pressures and then the remaining Basic Allotment plus more money districts can use fully flexible," said Sen. Brandon Creighton (R-Conroe). There were tough questions about charter schools. Committee members Sen. Jose Menendez (D-San Antonio) and Se. Royce West (D-Dallas) noted how charter school teachers will be eligible for the pay raise, but charter schools will still operate under different rules than those for public schools. Sen. Creighton, who filed the new HB 2, noted there are policy inequities that should be addressed, but noted charter school reform will have to come later. In public testimony there were calls to increase funding levels for Pre-K and for Fine Arts programs. What's next The bill was left pending Thursday night after hours of public testimony. The Senate funding plan was described as a work in progress and it's unclear when the legislation will be sent to the full Senate. Eventually, it will have to go back to the Texas House. The Source Information in this report comes from reporting/interviews by FOX 7 Austin's chief political reporter Rudy Koski.
