Source : NEW INDIAN EXPRESS NEWS
De-emphasizing equity in school discipline
Trump also invoked opposition to equity efforts in his order on school discipline. The edict signed Wednesday seeks a return to “common sense school discipline,” allowing decisions to be based solely on students’ behavior and actions, McMahon said.
Another executive order instructs government agencies and departments to no longer rely on “disparate impact theories.” Under the disparate impact standard, policies and practices that disproportionately impact minorities and other protected groups could be challenged regardless of their intent.
In many schools around the country, Black students have been more likely to receive punishments that remove them from the classroom, including suspensions, expulsions and being transferred to alternative schools. A decade ago, those differences became the target of a reform movement spurred by the same reckoning that gave rise to Black Lives Matter. The movement elevated the concept of the “school-to-prison pipeline” — the notion that being kicked out of school, or dropping out, increases the chance of arrest and imprisonment years later.
Federal guidelines to address racial disparities in school discipline first came from President Barack Obama’s administration in 2014. Federal officials urged schools not to suspend, expel or refer students to law enforcement except as a last resort, and encouraged restorative justice practices that did not push students out of the classroom. Those rules were rolled back by Trump’s first administration, but civil rights regulations at federal and state levels still mandate the collection of data on discipline.
On Wednesday, Trump directed McMahon to issue new school discipline guidance within 60 days. The order also calls for a review of nonprofit organizations that have promoted discipline policies rooted in equity and ensure they don’t receive federal money.
Another order creates a federal task force focused on giving America’s students training on artificial intelligence as early as kindergarten. It would work to develop new online learning resources.
Trump is also establishing a White House initiative to empower Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Among other efforts, it would seek to promote private-sector partnerships with HBCUs and schools’ workforce preparation in industries like technology and finance.
SOURCE :- NEW INDIAN EXPRESS
