School Suspension Call to Action

It is no surprise that students of color are disproportionately suspended in the education system. It has recently been found, however, that black girls are suspended at a much higher rate than their peers. This disparity comes as a result of racial and gender stereotypes within the educational system. An article in the Amsterdam News on the disparity in suspension rates posits that schools outside of NYC are 6.1 times more likely to suspend Black female students than their white counterparts. When it comes to schools in NYC, the statistics become increasingly alarming as the school districts are 8.6 times more likely to suspend black female students than their white peers. This is an urgent and pervasive issue. 

• Gather statistics from your own schools on the suspension rates based on race
   
• Share the statistics with your classmates and Freedom & Citizenship (for spreading the word)

Through email, ask your principal for your school's suspension statistics by race. 

Here is a script of what you can write: 

Dear Principal/Faculty member name__________,

My name is_________ and I am reaching out to express a concern about something I have recently stumbled upon. In this article, I read that “Outside of NYC, schools were 6.1 times more likely to suspend Black female students than their white peers, and in NYC the school district was 8.6 times more likely to suspend Black female students than their white female peers.” I wanted to ask if I can get access to our school's suspension statistics by race.

When you have your school's statistics, share them with your classmates, and send them over to us at:

@freedomandcitizenship on Insta or [email protected] by email