1. Lack of funding and resources: Many discipline problems arise when students are disengaged and do not have support services to help them persist in their educational pursuits. Lack of textbooks, inexperienced teachers, and non-existent counseling and special education services all contribute to delinquency and high dropout rates.
2. Alternative school environments: In some public school districts, children that have been disciplined are remanded to alternative schools, many of which are run by private, for-profit corporations that are not subject to state and federal education guidelines. As a result, when students are returned to the normal school environment, they find that they are completely unprepared to keep up. Even more shocking, in some districts, students that have been expelled or suspended have no right to any educational services whatsoever as per school district policy.
3. Zero-tolerance policies: Partly developed in response to the increasing number of violent incidents at schools in the 1990s, these policies have been implemented at all grade levels, including preschool. They establish automatic punishments for infractions regardless of the circumstances in which the offense occurred. In some cases, students have been suspended or expelled for violating school policies without actually posing a threat, such as a child who violated a weapons policy by having a pair of scissors in their backpack or a student who violated a drug policy by having over-the-counter allergy medication on her person. Compounding the problem is that these policies often ignore a student’s right to due process after they have been accused of wrongdoing, particularly for children of color or those who have special needs.
4. Police in the schools: Schools have come to rely heavily on an armed police presence rather than school personnel to maintain order in classrooms and hallways. In fact, since 1997, the number of school resource officers has risen by 38%. Consequently, children who commit even slight offenses, such as causing a classroom disruption, are far more likely today to be arrested than they were just 10 or 15 years ago.
5. Juvenile court and detention: Students that have been removed from school due to zero-tolerance policies or school-based arrests often find themselves involved in court proceedings, or worse, juvenile detention, even for minor offenses. Once there, it is exceedingly difficult for a student to reverse the trend and re-enter school. Without education or a safe place to go during the day, many of these kids end up poor, without a job or involved in serious criminal activity.
- 70% of students that are arrested at school or are referred to law enforcement are black or Latino.
- 40%of students expelled each year are black.
- Black students are over three times more likely to be suspended than white students for the exact same infraction.
- Children who have a disability are more than twice as likely to be suspended than a student without a disability.
- Although disabled children represent just 12% of the student population, they account for 25% of law enforcement referrals and arrests.
- Disabled children represent 75% of all students that are physically restrained and 58% of all students that are placed in seclusion, even though they comprise just 12% of the total student population.

- Build consensus among all stakeholders at the local, state, and federal level as to what constitutes appropriate disciplinary procedures.
- Develop and implement research-based solutions to behavioral issues that support a positive school climate for all students.
- Devise guidelines to ensure that discipline policies uphold, rather than violate, students’ civil rights.
- Promote awareness of policies that work to reduce negative behaviors among leaders in the field of education.
- Understand that school personnel, not local police or school resource officers, are responsible for handling day-to-day discipline.
- Clearly define the roles and responsibilities of school resource officers.
- Assist school resource officers in developing rapport with students and parents by providing them opportunities for positive engagement with both groups.