Interrogating Subjective Discipline Policy: South Carolina Discipline Policies as a Source of Inequity

• In Event: Policy Influences on School Discipline Disparities

Abstract

Racial disparity in school discipline has been a well-documented phenomenon in the United States. While this has been documented in a variety of states and contexts the inequities that result from Black students being targeted with exclusionary discipline persist. This study uses critical policy analysis (CPA) and Critical Race Theory (CRT) to examine the district policies in South Carolina to understand how they either contribute to either racial justice or anti-Black racism. This qualitative content analysis examines 75 district policies and identifies three preliminary findings: homogeneity, wide-range of discipline outcomes, and district policies are open-ended. This study has important implications for research and practice as South Carolina is one of the conservative states that have effectively outlawed mandated equity training.

Authors

• David Osworth, University of North Carolina - Greensboro

• M. Nathan Tanner, University of Nevada - Reno