A new study released by the African American Policy Forum and the Center for Intersectionality and Social Policy Studies at Columbia University shows that black girls are 6 times more likely to be suspended than white girls in New York schools.
The study reflected a rate of race disparity even higher than that of black boys and white boys, according to Vox.
The study showed that 12 percent of black girls were suspended, compared to 2 percent for white girls. “No white girls were expelled, and thus, no ratio can be calculated,” the study stated. “But the magnitude of the disparity can be captured by simply imagining that one white girl had been expelled. Were that the case, the ratio would be 53:1.”
Boston schools showed a similar trend, with an assumed ratio for expulsion of about 10 to 1. (Again, no white female students were kicked out.)
A comparative report studying black boys and white boys found black boys were suspended 3 times as much and expelled 10 times as much in New York and expelled 6 times as much in Boston.
“These data reveal that in some cases, race may be a more significant factor for females than it is for males,” the report states. “The particular disparities facing Black girls are largely unrecognized in the mainstream discourse about punitive policies in public education. Consequently, efforts to confront the challenge of ensuring equitable and fair opportunities for Black girls in school remain underdeveloped.”