The Connecticut School Discipline Collaborative is being launched to strengthen the Connecticut State Department of Education’s (CSDE) commitment to creating opportunities for all children to have an excellent education. National research shows that discipline practices that exclude students from instruction, such as suspensions and expulsions, have negative consequences for students including increased risk for grade-level retention, dropping out of school, and involvement with the juvenile justice system. Moreover, research nationally and in Connecticut has found that low-income students, students with disabilities, and students of color are significantly more likely to be excluded from school.
The Connecticut School Discipline Collaborative will:
- Advise the State Department of Education on issues, policies and practices relating to school discipline;
- Evaluate and recommend plans for statewide school discipline reform initiatives to the State Board of Education;
- Review effective practices carried out in Connecticut and other states to increase alternatives to exclusionary discipline and determine the feasibility of carrying out those practices in this state; and
- Develop or identify tools for district and school personnel to implement alternatives to exclusionary discipline.
“Thank you for providing your time and expertise as both an advisor and an ambassador to advance statewide efforts to ensure equity and excellence for all Connecticut students” said Dr. Dianna R. Wentzell, Commissioner of Education, in a recent letter to Attorney Laubin.