Education Department Directs Schools on Race-Based Discipline Practices

Why it matters locally: This federal guidance will directly affect disciplinary policies and practices in Louisiana's public schools, potentially altering how local school boards and individual schools, including those overseen by the City of New Orleans City Hall or the City of Baton Rouge / Parish of East Baton Rouge Main Office, address student discipline.

The U.S. Education Department, under the Trump administration, has issued new guidance to schools concerning student discipline. The department advises schools to stop factoring race into their disciplinary protocols. This directive addresses a long-standing discussion regarding how schools implement disciplinary measures and the role, if any, that race plays in those decisions.