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With so much uproar surrounding the policing, victimization and physical abuse of Black bodies in America, it is clear our children still remain the most vulnerable population.
A new report revealed that in school Black children are more likely to be disciplined by corporal punishment than white children, according to the Brookings Institute.
The study states that there were 57,000 incidents of teachers beating Black children last year alone.
Research suggests there are two possible explanations for the disparity between punishment for Black and White children.
Dick Starz, an economics professor at U.C. Santa Barbara explains that Black children are targeted more because, “Black kids are disproportionately likely to live in states where such punishments are allowed, and also because Black students are more likely to be singled out for corporal punishment by educators.”
But there is also a geographical component to these incidents. The majority of the beatings are concentrated in Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Arkansas, Texas, Tennessee & Louisiana. These stats come as no surprise, considering the deep history of racial discrimination embedded in Southern states.
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One disciplinary action that does not vary state-to-state are out-of-school suspensions.
Nationwide, “an astounding 15 percent of Black students receive out-of-school suspension in a given year, a rate nearly 4 times that of White students,” the report explains.
With incidents of students being unrightfully abused in their place of learning becoming more and more numerous, it’s important to shed light on these racial disparities and address how to make schools a fair and safe space for every child, no matter their color.
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