Excluding at Will for Small Stuff: Disparate Application of Exclusionary Disciplinary Policies in Massachusetts Charter Schools

Even with the enactment of progressive legislation, Massachusetts’ charter schools still disciplined students with exclusionary punishments for minor offenses more often than public schools during the 2014-2015 school year. Even more troubling, Boston charter schools suspended low-income students and students of color at higher rates than they did white students. Through an analysis of two Boston charter schools’ codes of conduct and data on out-of-school suspensions at six Massachusetts charter schools, this small book shows that charter schools’ exclusionary disciplinary practices disproportionately affect Black and Latino students (especially males). The book proposes effective strategies and alternatives to the charter schools’ exclusionary policies.