Civil Rights Coalition Welcomes Title VI Resource, Calls for Action to Ensure Nondiscrimination in School Discipline

Education News 05.26,23

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Mattie Goldman, [email protected]

WASHINGTON — Liz King, senior director of the education equity program at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement on nondiscrimination rights in school discipline guidance from the U.S. Departments of Education and Justice:

“We applaud the Biden administration for reminding schools and districts of their ongoing obligation to administer school discipline in a way that does not discriminate. This has been, and remains, the obligation of every public school since the passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1964. The critical information shared today will enable students, parents, and educators to ensure that schools are treating all students fairly and in accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Safe, healthy, and inclusive school climates are critical to creating the learning environments that our scholars and future leaders need. Exclusionary discipline, criminalization, and discrimination deny equal educational opportunity and undermine our national progress. We must all work together to prevent discrimination in the first place and to respond swiftly when discrimination occurs. We look forward to working closely with Congress and the administration to ensure greater support for teachers and students and to replace the scourge of school-based policing with positive alternatives.”

Additional Resources:

  • In November 2022, The Leadership Conference, joined by 38 national civil and human rights organizations, sent a joint letter calling on the U.S. Departments of Justice and Education to update and publish guidance under Title VI to ensure nondiscrimination of students in the context of school discipline.
  • In 2019, The Leadership Conference and 57 organizations released “Civil Rights Principles for Safe, Healthy, and Inclusive School Climates,” a roadmap for policymakers concerned with the learning, well-being, and safety of all students in our nation’s schools.
  • In March, The Leadership Conference’s Education Task Force released Legislative Priorities for the 118th Congress, which calls for legislation to advance safe, healthy, and inclusive school climates.

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 250 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.

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