WASHINGTON (AP) — President Obama is highlighting a problem faced by minority students in Tennessee and nationwide.
The Obama Administration is urging schools to abandon overly zealous discipline polices that discriminate against minority students.
State records show Tennessee’s African-American students are 2.6 times more likely to be disciplined than white students.
Hedy Weinberg of the Tennessee Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union says parents and teachers have reason to be concerned about school security, but student discipline has gotten out of hand.
“We are creating sort of a prison environment where we have increased the law enforcement presence in our schools, we have increased the use of zero tolerance policies, and that results in the misuse of suspensions and expulsions.”
The Justice Department recently sued the Meridian, Mississippi school system for discipline disparities.
Federal guidelines issued this week urge schools to adhere to the principle of fairness and equity in student discipline -- or face similar legal action.