Complaint Alleges Jefferson County Public schools (JCPS) Discipline Discriminates Against African American And Disabled Students.
Complaint alleges JCPS discipline discriminates against African American and disabled students
A complaint filed Friday on behalf of six students and their families accuses Jefferson County Public Schools of violating federal civil rights laws with “vague and ambiguous discipline procedures” that punish African-American and disabled students more harshly and more often than white students.
The 26-page complaint, filed by several prominent legal organizations, including the Southern Poverty Law Center in Alabama and the Lexington-based Children's Law Center, asks the U.S. Department of Education to require the district to change its disciplinary policies.
The students and their families are not seeking money and instead want “systemic change” in the district, said Rebecca DiLoreto, litigation director of the Children's Law Center.
The changes include requiring the district to adopt training for teachers and administrators in “positive behavior interventions,” revising the school code of conduct and tracking and reviewing data on school disciplinary practices to eliminate discrimination against students.
“There is an overall question of fairness and whether the treatment of these students is appropriate,” DiLoreto said Friday. “But there is also a question about Jefferson County's overall use of discipline as a way to push these students out of school and into the criminal justice system.”
The complaint does not name the students and DiLoreto also declined to name them.
The organizations said they tried but failed to reach a negotiated settlement with the district, as they have with Fayette County. They said they are also negotiating settlements with eight other Kentucky school districts.
Jefferson County Superintendent Sheldon Berman said in a statement that the district hasn't had time to review the complaint, but was “disappointed to learn that these organizations have chosen to file a complaint after we provided extensive data and statistics that prove that JCPS has an excellent track record in dealing with discipline issues involving minority and disabled students.” ...
Editor's note: follow linked caption to continue reading the sad story.
If this happens in Jefferson County, the rest of the Commonwealth really has no hope of being in better condition for these folks!
A complaint filed Friday on behalf of six students and their families accuses Jefferson County Public Schools of violating federal civil rights laws with “vague and ambiguous discipline procedures” that punish African-American and disabled students more harshly and more often than white students.
The 26-page complaint, filed by several prominent legal organizations, including the Southern Poverty Law Center in Alabama and the Lexington-based Children's Law Center, asks the U.S. Department of Education to require the district to change its disciplinary policies.
The students and their families are not seeking money and instead want “systemic change” in the district, said Rebecca DiLoreto, litigation director of the Children's Law Center.
The changes include requiring the district to adopt training for teachers and administrators in “positive behavior interventions,” revising the school code of conduct and tracking and reviewing data on school disciplinary practices to eliminate discrimination against students.
“There is an overall question of fairness and whether the treatment of these students is appropriate,” DiLoreto said Friday. “But there is also a question about Jefferson County's overall use of discipline as a way to push these students out of school and into the criminal justice system.”
The complaint does not name the students and DiLoreto also declined to name them.
The organizations said they tried but failed to reach a negotiated settlement with the district, as they have with Fayette County. They said they are also negotiating settlements with eight other Kentucky school districts.
Jefferson County Superintendent Sheldon Berman said in a statement that the district hasn't had time to review the complaint, but was “disappointed to learn that these organizations have chosen to file a complaint after we provided extensive data and statistics that prove that JCPS has an excellent track record in dealing with discipline issues involving minority and disabled students.” ...
Editor's note: follow linked caption to continue reading the sad story.
If this happens in Jefferson County, the rest of the Commonwealth really has no hope of being in better condition for these folks!
posted by KYJurisDoctor at 8:53 PM
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