(GoRealNewsNow.com) – Leftists are hurting the nation in a new way as they are now attacking states that are restoring stronger punishments for students to tackle a terrifying collapse in discipline throughout American schools.
States such as Kentucky and West Virginia have taken legislative action to in response to increasing concerns about student discipline – only to seem themselves severely criticized by progressivists, The College Fix reports.
A notable example is Kentucky, where a new law has been enacted to address various school disciplinary issues.
It permits student suspension for infractions such as using profanity, “willful disobedience or defiance of the authority of the teachers or administrators,” vandalizing school property, and using alcohol or drugs.
Additionally, it mandates a year-long expulsion for students who make violent threats or bring weapons to school.
This legislation garnered bipartisan support but also sparked criticism for potentially exacerbating existing issues.
“The new law allows teachers to go through a process, which involves parents and principals, and a series of steps to put that [disruptive] child in an alternative setting,” explained GOP state Rep. Steve Rawlings.
Louisville Metro Council’s Kumar Rashad, a former teacher who developed a course titled “Developing Black Historical Conscience,” expressed concern about the disproportionate impact on students of color.
“When we talk about expelling the student for a whole year, that’s going to send these students out on the street. You want crime to go up? Let’s do that,” Rashad stated.
Rashad, who has advocated for addressing “anti-critical race theory rhetoric” in education, is not alone in attacking measures seeking better school discipline.
Thalia González, co-director of University of California Law San Francisco’s Center for Racial and Economic Justice, attributed the rise of such laws to right-wing rhetoric.
“We are in a period of retrenchment in this country,” she said.
González, whose research encompasses restorative justice, education law, and critical race theory, argued in a 2019 study that punitive disciplinary measures can deny students critical educational opportunities and worsen existing disparities.
West Virginia has witnessed similar debates, with state Representative Marty Gearheart, a Republican and the House majority whip, emphasizing the urgent need to address disruptive classroom behavior.
In a survey last June, the American Federation of Teachers found that nearly 90% of educators consider “poor student discipline and a lack of support for dealing with disruptive students” to be a significant issue.