A Study of the Preservation of Exclusionary Disciplinary Measures: A Case Study of the United States

Abstract

Exclusionary disciplinary measures (EDMs), specifically out-of-school suspension (OSS) and expulsion, continue to be among the most prominent tools in use in U.S. schools to manage serious student misbehavior. While critics point to their negative academic, behavioral, and psychosocial implications including contributing to the school-to-prison pipeline and perpetuating racial and disability disparities, the proponents of the use of EDMs have contended that they have importance in protecting students and staff, preserving instructional time, and signaling normative limits. This research focuses on the preservation of EDMs in the United States, and the paper delves into the historical context of, the use and effects of EDMs by using a blend of policy review, empirical and documented case studies of extreme student misconduct. Findings reveal that although excessive reliance on exclusion can have a dual consequence of compounding inequities and compromising learning, judicious limitation of exclusion, within an evidence-informed framework that includes an integration of procedural safeguards, centralization of policy oversight with re-entry supports, can limit harms while preserving EDMs as a needed last resort tool. The study also puts EDMs into the context of zero tolerance policies and highlights the need to find a balance between strict enforcement and individual considerations, and alternatives, such as restorative practices and PBIS, as well as equity-focused interventions. By analyzing both the risks and strategic benefits of EDMs, this paper proposes a calibrated strategy to the discipline policy that keeps schools safe, facilitates an orderly learning environment and upholds educational equity for all students.