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MEASURE Bill Hearing
April 13, 2021 @ 8:00 am - 9:00 am
According to a recent study, Black and brown children are more likely to be suspended or expelled from Texas schools than white students. For example, a statewide study from the 2018-2019 school year showed Texas’ schools disciplined Black students nearly five times the rate of white students, even though Black students made up only 13.48% of the school’s student population. This disturbing data is just a snapshot of the ongoing racial inequalities in Texas’s school systems—and the consequences are troubling. Research shows that suspension and expulsion can lead to learning setbacks, a higher risk of dropout, and a higher risk of involvement in the school-to-prison pipeline.
While Texas schools have implemented some steps to try to address these inequalities, they admit (and the numbers show) progress has been slow, which leaves many Black and brown children at risk of falling victim to the inadequacies and biases of the system. Caregivers are often helpless when it comes to school discipline. They have little to no information readily available to them on whether their child’s school is more likely to discipline their child based on the child’s sex or race.
The MEASURE Bill (HB 3485) asks schools to share data with caregivers directly in a reader-friendly way to allow them to make informed decisions about their child’s education and to help combat disciplinary action disparity.
If you would like more information about this very important measure, please email hello@wemeasure.org or visit TheMeasureBill.org. You can watch this hearing online at house.texas.gov.