When Discipline Is Not Equal
A school system is supposed to give every child a fair chance. But what happens when some children are punished more often—and more harshly—than others for similar behavior?
An investigation by the New Mexico Department of Justice found substantial racial disparities in discipline at Gallup-McKinley County Schools.
Indigenous and Hispanic students were suspended more frequently and for longer periods than white students who committed similar infractions.
According to the investigation, Indigenous students lost eight to ten times more classroom days to suspension than white students. Hispanic students lost three to four times more.
The school district serves communities across part of the Navajo Nation and has the largest Native American student population of any public school district in the United States.
Discipline is not equal when the same behavior produces different consequences depending on who the child is.
The state investigation began after reporting by New Mexico In Depth and ProPublica documented unusually high rates of harsh punishment involving Native American and Hispanic children.
New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez has now called for reforms, including clearer discipline standards, stronger oversight, better data collection, and protections against racial discrimination.
This matters because exclusion from school is not merely a punishment.
Every suspended day is a day of education lost. Every child repeatedly removed from the classroom receives a message about whether they belong there.
Who is missing?
Indigenous and Hispanic students whose experiences were reduced to discipline statistics instead of being treated as evidence that the system itself required examination.
Who helped?
Journalists documented the pattern. Families and community members continued raising concerns. State investigators examined whether the district was treating children fairly.
What can I do?
Ask your local school district to publish discipline data by race, disability, gender, and type of punishment.
Support restorative practices that address harm without automatically removing children from the classroom.
And when one group of children is consistently punished more severely, do not accept the disparity as normal. Ask what created it.
Who is missing?
Ally = Action.
Take Your Seat. 🪑