Education Department Directs Schools on Race-Based Discipline Practices

Why it matters locally: This federal directive will directly influence how school districts across Iowa, including those in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City, approach and implement their student discipline policies. Educational institutions within the state will need to review their existing protocols to ensure compliance with the new guidance.

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.