Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) released the following statement after the Trump Administration’s school safety commission, formed in the aftermath of the Parkland shooting, recommended rolling back the Obama Administration’s policies to address the disproportionate punishment of students of color in America’s schools and suggested the federal effort to address discriminatory discipline practices have made schools more dangerous. In 2014, the Government Accountability Office found that African-American students, boys and students with disabilities received more frequent and harsher punishment than their peers for similar transgressions.
“I’m deeply concerned about the impact the Trump Administration’s reckless policy proposal would have in Nevada, where two-thirds of students are children of color. The Department of Education should be working with states and school districts to address the disproportionate punishment of students of color. Instead, Secretary DeVos is using this Administration’s school safety commission as a vehicle to roll back protections for minority students, rather than making sure our schools are safe for students and teachers and that every student is held to the same standard in the classroom.”