Dive Brief:

• Wanting to the curb the school-to-prison pipeline, which as been tied to school discipline, Oregon legislators have proposed a bill that would only allow elementary schools in the state to expel students if they are a threat to safety or cause serious harm.
• Schools would no longer be able to kick out students who cause repeated disruptions or other minor disciplinary issues.
• The bill, which acknowledges that minority students are more likely to be given harsher punishments than their white counterparts, has passed the Senate is now on its way to the House.

Dive Insight:

According to legislators pushing the bill, during the 2013-2014 school year 8,000 elementary school students were suspended, often for minor infractions such as classroom disruptions or insubordination. This high number is occurring even though current state law requires schools to consider a students age before suspending them. The new bill calls for expulsions only if a student is a true threat to the staff and student body.

There has been a growing movement against the overuse of suspension and explosions in schools, especially as links between school discipline and the school-to-prison pipeline become more clear.