Education Department Directs Schools on Race-Based Discipline Practices

Why it matters locally: This guidance could influence disciplinary policies within Tennessee's public school systems, potentially altering how schools across the state address student conduct and equity in 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.