Black Students Suspended More Often at PUSD Schools in 2011-12

The California Department of Education released numbers last month showing school administrators suspended one out of 20 students and expelled one 1,000 students statewide during the 2011-12 school year.

Statewide data revealed that black students and Hispanic students are more likely to be suspended than white or Asian students, a trend that was partially mirrored at Pasadena Unified schools.

At PUSD in 2011- 12, black students made up 16.4 percent of the student body but accounted for 33.2 percent of suspensions, while white students made up 14.9 percent of the student body, but just 6.6 percent of suspensions.

Latino students, who were 59.3 percent of the student body in 2011-12, accounted for 55.9 percent of suspensions, differing from the statewide trend where Latinos, 52 percent of the state's students, accounted for 54 percent of the suspensions.

The graphic above represents visually the racial makeup of PUSD on the left, versus the percent of student suspensions by race on the right. The figures on right refer to the total number of students suspended rather the raw number of suspensions (some students received multiple suspensions in the school year).

Statewide, according to the DOE figures, black students are 6.5 percent of total enrollment, but make up 19 percent of suspensions. White students are 26 percent of total enrollment, but represent 20 percent of suspensions. Hispanic students are 52 percent of total enrollment, and 54 percent of suspensions.

Similar trends exist nationwide, according to a recently-released UCLA study.

California's Department of Education says it is undertaking steps to understand the disparity and to find positive alternatives to suspension and expulsion:

The California Department of Education is working on several initiatives to address these differences in rates by identifying positive alternatives to suspension and expulsion, as well as developing effective strategies to improve attendance as part of an overarching initiative to keep students in school. The Department has partnered with several organizations to work on these initiatives, including The California Endowment, the California Blue Ribbon Commission on Children in Foster Care, the Region IX Equity Assistance Center at WestEd, and Attendance Works.

More data on suspensions and expulsions can be found on the state's website.  Patch will be running a post with some more data showing the types of offenses that lead to suspension at PUSD later this week.

-- Jim Welte contributed to this report