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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend May 21, 2005 School discipline: equal for all? By JONEL ALECCIA Mail Tribune Minority students in many Oregon school districts, including some in Jackson County, are suspended or expelled at rates greater than their proportion of enrollment, according to a state education department analysis. In Medford, the county’s largest district, minorities made up 19 percent of the student population, but they accounted for 26 percent each of expulsions and suspensions during the 2003-2004 school year. In Rogue River, minorities accounted for just 7 percent of enrollment, yet they made up 18 percent of suspensions, the report showed. "I can’t say why. We treat all kids equally," said Charles Hellman, Rogue River schools superintendent. Other local districts, however, reported different proportions. Advertisement In Eagle Point, for instance, minorities made up 20 percent of the district’s enrollment, but they accounted for just 6 percent of expulsions and 10 percent of suspensions. Overall in Oregon, 56 of 74 districts analyzed had expulsion, suspension or drop-out rates higher for minority students than for whites. The analysis was done for the Governor’s Summit Planning Meeting on the Overrepresentation of Minorities in the Juvenile Justice System. The data was also sought by state Superintendent Susan Castillo’s minority student advisory team. In Portland, minority students made up 40 percent of the population, but they accounted for 60 percent of expulsions and 62 percent of suspensions during the 2003-2004 school year. Portland and three other Oregon districts were cited in the report because minorities were over-represented in suspensions, expulsions and drop-out rates or because minorities scored significantly lower than whites on state assessment measures. "This is not a unique problem here in Oregon," said Vanessa Gaston, state school board member and president and chief executive officer of the Urban League of Portland. "In some states, it’s worse. But we do have a problem." Brian Baker, a staff lawyer for the Juvenile Justice Project in Portland, said the data mirror research his agency and others have conducted. However, he cautioned that it’s important to study discipline patterns at each school to determine whether bias is at work. It’s also important to review the numbers carefully, noted Ben Bergreen, superintendent of Phoenix-Talent schools. On paper, minority students make up 26 percent of enrollment in his district, but they account for 31 percent of suspensions. However, the report counted suspensions by incident, not by student. "We had one young man move up from an urban district and he and two or three friends he had influence over pretty much took up the bulk of the suspensions," Bergreen noted. Other school officials on both sides of the disparity struggled to explain their data. "I wish it were right on. I wish it were less than the proportion of minorities enrolled," said Kathy McCollum, interim superintendent in Medford. Her district has conducted trainings to increase sensitivity to minority students, McCollum said. Staff members dedicated to helping students who don’t speak English also have been hired to bridge the gap. "I think our district is getting much more aware as a whole," she said. "I would expect it would be more commensurate in the future." Eagle Point has taken several steps to connect with minority students, said Mari Brabbin, principal at Eagle Point High School. English Language Learner staff members have been hired and new programs created to help all students, including minorities, improve grades and behavior. Part of the reason for Eagle Point’s positive rate might be because more minority students are enrolled at the elementary level, Brabbin said. Minority students make up about 12 percent of high school enrollment, she noted. Those are the students more likely to be suspended or expelled. Hellman, too, said his district has been making changes to accommodate a growing minority population. They include more ELL staff, cultural-diversity training and a new procedure for the way all kids deal with conflict. Reports such as this reflect the need for adequate resources, he said. "When schools cry out for more funding, they’re crying out for more needs they have in meeting these specific populations," he said. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465 or by e-mail at [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. 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