Dive Brief:

• The Obama administration is telling school administrators to avoid discrimination in punishments and to use only as a last resort suspension or expulsion.
• The standards come amid concerns that schools might punish students unequally — black students and special education students receive a disproportionate number of suspensions, according to a government study.
• The administration avoided saying whether schools should add law enforcement presence.

Dive Insight:

The zero-tolerance pendulum may have swung too far. In announcing the policy, the administration cited a study showing that 95% of suspensions resulted from minor infractions and pointed out that banning a student from school has a negative impact on that student's chances of academic success.