MichiganRadio

ACLU: Racial Disparities in School Discipline DEARBORN, MI (Michigan Radio) - The American Civil Liberties Union says many schools in Michigan suspend and expel too many students - and push too many kids into the criminal justice system.

The ACLU of Michigan report looked at more than three dozen school districts - most in southeast Michigan.

Mark Fancher is an ACLU attorney, and the report's author. He says the data also reveal some disturbing racial disparities.

"Black students in particular are the targets of suspensions at rates that are disproportionate to their representation in the student populations," Fancher said.

For example, the report says black students make up 18 percent of the student body in Ann Arbor. But they got 58 percent of the suspensions.

A spokeswoman for the Ann Arbor schools says the data is two years old. She says since then the district has cut its suspensions overall, and reduced the racial disparities in who gets suspended.

Contact Sarah Hulett at sarahhu@umich.edu © Copyright 2012, Michigan Radio