Harsher Punishments, Lesser Infractions: Disciplinary Injustice for Native American Students in New Mexico Public Schools

• In Event: The School-Prison Nexus: Causes and Effects

Abstract

Exclusionary discipline disproportionately affects youth of color, but Indigenous student experiences remain underexplored. Using 2019-2020 New Mexico K-12 data, we applied random intercept multilevel modeling to examine the impact of race and infraction severity on odds of receiving harsh discipline (out-of-school suspension, justice system referral) versus in-school suspension. White students had 20% lower odds (p = .003) of receiving harsh discipline compared to Native American students. While odds of harsh discipline increased for all students as infraction severity increased, odds of receiving harsh discipline declined more sharply for White, Black, and Latine students compared to Native American students as infraction severity decreased. Overall, Native American students faced harsher consequences for less serious infractions, underscoring the need for equity-focused discipline reform.

Authors

• Amy Watson-Grace, The Ohio State University

• Hexin Yang, The Ohio State University

• Gia Barboza Salerno, The Ohio State University