School Discipline and School Counselors

• In Event: Catalysts for Change: School Counselors Tackle Inequitable Educational Opportunity, Racial Injustice, and COVID-19

Abstract

The U.S has witnessed a shift in society demands for equity and social justice, pressuring policymakers to reduce the use of discipline and to address concerns of racial inequities in school discipline (U.S. Department of Justice & U.S. Department of Education, 2017). Without information about the publics’ perception, awareness, and knowledge of current policies, reform of school discipline policy is difficult.
This study examines data from a national survey that examines public perceptions on school discipline reform. The study is framed within a restorative justice paradigm that focuses on repairing the harm caused by violence involving offenders, victims, and the student body (Macready, 2009), and emphasizes the importance and value of relationships within the school community. These infractions are viewed as a violation of those relationships, a break in trust, and the student receives training on how to thereby mend the relationship. This shift in practice moves away from punitive discipline, which for many adults is what we are familiar with and received or witnessed within our own K-12 experience.
The study seeks to gather participants’ perceptions of whether school discipline should be reformed, to what extent is access to mental health services for students an issue, the roles and responsibilities of the professional school counselors, should school counselors be involved in school discipline, to what extent does personal experience with school discipline influence perceptions of school discipline reform, and if personal experience influences perceptions of how school discipline is experienced by students of color or students with disabilities?
A demographics questionnaire gathered participants’ general demographics and whether they had children and if their children were enrolled in PreK-12. Participants’ perceptions or awareness of school discipline and the role of school counselors to support behavior change was gathered using a 22-item self-created Likert scale survey. Data was also collected concerning the public’s awareness and knowledge of school counselor’s role in supporting children in reforming and changing behaviors and regarding their perceptions of how minoritized children or children with disabilities experience school discipline.
Preliminary results indicated that personal experiences with school discipline are associated with how participants perceive students of color or with a disabilities experience school discipline. Analysis for students with disabilities and students of color reflect a strong statistically significant relationship between those participants who stated they received unfair school discipline and how they perceive students both groups to experience school discipline. Results indicate that most participants (74%) believe school discipline needs to be reformed with those who perceived they experienced unfair school discipline practices are most likely (81%), while those that they believe they did not experience unfair school discipline were slightly below the average at 72%.
This study highlights the crisis of K-12 schools’ inappropriate use of disciplinary actions toward minoritized students. Despite the efforts and advocacy to provide mental health supports and services to youth, concerns remain. First, access to resources remains a barrier. Second, educators remain poorly educated about behaviors associated with mental health crisis and/or diagnosis. Third, the school counseling profession needs to further educate the public their roles with discipline and restorative practices.

Authors

• Diana Camilo, California State University - San Bernardino

• Amanda M. Winburn, University of Mississippi

• Jill Cabrera, University of Mississippi