Racial Disparity Of Students Disciplined In WH A Worry

WEST HARTFORD, CT — A state report issued Wednesday on West Hartford's Sedgwick Middle School has raised concerns regarding student arrests and the racial makeup of those disciplined.

But, according to the state Office of the Child Advocate, which issued the report, West Hartford has demonstrated a willingness to address the situation and has already showed improvement.

According to Connecticut Child Advocate Sarah H. Eagan, who signed the report and sent it to West Hartford Public Schools, a disproportionately high amount of students in 2019-20 at Sedgwick — seven — were arrested by local police for various reasons. All charges were misdemeanors, Eagan said.

That number alone, according to Eagan, was one of the highest numbers in the state for that time period.

But what is causing OCA further concern is the fact all seven students arrested in 2019-20 were Black, Hispanic or biracial, according to OCA.

In fact, according to Eagan, "the majority of students arrested in West Hartford that school year were Black or Hispanic," a trend seen in prior years as well and one that also includes statistics for disciplinary suspensions.

Citing state Department of Education data for 2018-19, the last full year prior to the pandemic, Eagan reported the following regarding suspension rates at West Hartford schools:

• The district-wide school suspension rate for white students was 2.4 percent. For Black and Hispanic students, it was 8.9 and 8.5 percent respectively.

• At Sedgwick Middle School that year, suspension rates were 35.4 percent for Blacks; 23.8 percent for Hispanics; and 9.4 percent for white students.

• The suspension rate for special education students at Sedgwick that year was 30.9 percent.

The racial disparity among students receiving discipline at Sedgwick, specifically, and West Hartford schools, in general, prompted the state to recommend:

• West Hartford create a "data-driven and publicly accountable" system showing district efforts to address the racial disproportionality of students being disciplined.

For example, West Hartford schools could work with the Child Health and Development Institute of Connecticut and local police to address mental health issues that might be prompting student behavior problems.

• West Hartford school administrators regularly update the West Hartford Board of Education on efforts and initiatives to address the racial disparity of students being discipline.

• West Hartford schools create a process to document and review 911 calls when law enforcement is asked to intervene in student discipline issues.

The OCA's probe of West Hartford schools is a byproduct of the department's 2020 investigation of Waterbury schools' utilization of 911 to deal with student discipline issues.

As part of that process, OCA regularly monitors school-based data on discipline, with West Hartford's Sedgwick arrest rate for 2019-20 raising red flags with the state.

West Hartford Superintendent of Schools Thomas Moore, who the OCA report was addressed to, is leaving the district soon for another job.

West Hartford Assistant Superintendent Andrew Morrow Thursday morning released a statement on the district's response to the report, which was released after an eight-month investigation.

He said West Hartford schools are taking the report seriously and working to implement its recommendations on top of what it has already been doing.

"We have been at the forefront of and are deeply committed to our diversity, equity and inclusion efforts," reads the statement issued by Morrow.

"While we acknowledge that our discipline trend has not met our desired pace of change, we have taken accountability and, as a direct result, that trend has been steadily moving in a positive direction."

State officials in the report acknowledged the school system is working to address the problem.

And, OCA officials said, the recently completed school year appears to show some of that progress.

"It is noteworthy that there have been, through May 2022, no school-based arrests of children aged 12 or younger in West Hartford," writes Eagan.

Eagan also said West Hartford's racial disparity among students being suspended districtwide is still lower than state averages.

Eagan, however, said staffers at the Connecticut Judicial Branch's Court Support Services Division emphasized students of middle school age or younger should not be arrested if underlying behavior issues can be addressed in other ways.

"The OCA appreciates the district's cooperation in this review and your openness to the recommendations outlined herein," wrote Eagan to the school system.

For the full Connecticut Office of the Child Advocate report, click on this link.