The Legislature is considering school discipline policies that would reduce the overreliance on courts while increasing effective in-school behavior management. Our research suggests that a tiered approach can both increase school safety and cut costs.
How Texas Can Upgrade School Discipline Policies
Texas has recently improved school discipline policies, but additional changes are needed, such as discontinuing out-of-school suspension to punish truancy, implementing restorative practices, and revising zero tolerance policies involving non-dangerous conduct to enhance principals’ discretion.