Concerns of racial bias resurface in Anne Arundel schools
The Anne Arundel County chapter of the NAACP has filed a civil rights complaint against the county school system for what it considers insufficient progress in eliminating racial bias from its disciplinary practices.
According to the story by my colleague Childs Walker, the complaint, filed with the civil rights office of the U.S. Department of Education on Friday, alleges that the numbers of African-American students referred for discipline and suspended have hardly changed since a similar complaint in 2004. That complaint led to an improvement plan agreed to in 2005 by the NAACP and the school system.
"Six years later, however, there has been no marked improvement in the disparate treatment of African-American students in disciplinary actions, which continues a pattern of denial and limitation of their educational opportunities and thus their future sustainability," the new complaint reads.
Read the full story here.
Baltimoresun.com's 
Comments
Kudos to the NAACP for spotlighting Anne Arundel County's high suspension rates for African American students. Readers should also know that nearly all Maryland Counties have higer suspension rates for African American students than white students. OSI-Baltimore's 2009-10 Suspension Fact Sheet lists Anne Arundel and seven other counties where suspension rates for African American students are DOUBLE that of white students. They include: Anne Arundel, Baltimore City and County, Dorchester, Montgomery, Prince George's, Somerset, and Wicomico Counties. The same pattern holds for children with disabilities - schools are suspending these students more often than non-disabled students. The state-wide spread of these apparent injustices underscores the need for action on the part of the Maryland State Board of Education. It needs to ensure that suspension is used rarely and fairly, something that is certainly not the case at present.
Posted by: Jane Sundius | July 13, 2011 11:58 AM
Does it underscore the need for action on the part of the parents?
Posted by: realteacher | July 16, 2011 7:05 PM
Does it underscore the need for action on the part of the parents?
Posted by: realteacher | July 16, 2011 7:05 PM
Does it underscore the need for action on the part of the parents?
Posted by: realteacher | July 16, 2011 7:05 PM