School System Still Battles Referral Gap
Auditors report that African-American students make up 22 percent of total enrollment, but receive nearly 45 percent of all referrals issued by educators.
A recent audit has revealed that Anne Arundel County schools continue to have a disparity in the percentage of disciplinary referrals issued to African-American students. School officials who conducted an audit of disciplinary referrals—specifically towards African-American students—presented their findings to the Anne Arundel County Board of Education on Wednesday. Leading the audit team was Arlen Liverman, AACPS deputy superintendent of schools, and Carlesa Finney, AACPS director of equity assurance and human relations. From December 2011 to May 2012, the team conducted an “audit of student records and a review of the electronic data of discipline referrals for disrespect, insubordination, disruption and inappropriate language,” …
In this Article:
Melanie Johnson
8:11 am on Monday, September 17, 2012
Ann the issue is not about disciplining children who have done something wrong. The issue is referring students of color more than the other students. That is the real issue. All students who misbehave should be disciplined. But tolerance for misbehaviors should not be extended to non-white students just because they mirror the teaching staff. The non-white students should not be made to feel … more ›