The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has concluded a compliance review of Jefferson County Public Schools in Louisville, Kentucky. The review investigated whether the school district discriminated against African American students by disciplining them more frequently and harshly than similarly situated white students.

OCR's investigation confirmed persistent racial disparities in the imposition of discipline across all years reviewed. It was found that similarly situated African American and white students were treated differently at both the referral and sanctioning stages of the discipline process. African American students faced harsher discipline compared to their white counterparts. For instance, African American students were more likely to receive out-of-school suspensions for their first infraction in a school year. District records also indicated that African American students were subjected to exclusionary discipline while white students were given opportunities to apologize, engage in restorative practices, or meet with district staff for the same offenses.

During the 2021-22 school year, African American and white students attended schools in roughly equal proportions, with African American students making up 37% of the student population and white students 39%. However, 55% of African American students received at least one disciplinary referral compared to 27.1% of white students.

To address these issues before OCR completed its investigation, Jefferson County Public Schools committed to several actions:

- Reviewing the discipline handbook to ensure sufficient guidance is provided to staff.

- Improving data collection for discipline referrals.

- Providing training to staff on revisions to the discipline handbook and appropriate consequences for misbehavior.

- Offering specific guidance on placements in alternative educational environments.

- Holding parent and student information sessions about discipline expectations and processes.

- Conducting school climate surveys to measure perceptions of school discipline administration.

- Providing compensatory education to students affected by past disciplinary practices.

“Kentucky’s largest school system has now committed to build on important strides it made during the course of this compliance review to safeguard against race discrimination when disciplining students in its schools,” said Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Catherine E. Lhamon. “OCR looks forward to working with Jefferson County Public Schools to fulfill its federal civil rights obligations to its students, ensuring equal treatment for each child at every stage of the discipline process.”

The letter of resolution and resolution agreement are available on the OCR website.