Fresno Unified suspends unhoused students more than peers, report finds
FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – A recent report from the Center for Public Integrity found Fresno Unified School District suspended unhoused students in the 2021-2022 school year, at twice the rate of other students.
According to CPI, California schools suspended more than 12,000 students who were identified as homeless in the 2021-2022 school year. Meaning that nearly 6% of all homeless students were suspended compared to roughly 3% of all other students.
It was found based on recent data available that Fresno Unified suspended over 109 unhoused students for the 2021-2022 school year.
The report mentions that due to the possible consequences, students experiencing homelessness are often discouraged from telling teachers and other staff members about their housing status.
Jennifer Kottke, who helps train districts on homeless education law through the Los Angeles County Office of Education told the Center for Public Integrity that educators should consult colleagues who work with homeless youth to weigh in with what’s happening in the lives of students and decide how to respond to behavior.
“There’s no requirement for educators currently to, per se, consider housing,” said Kottke.
Anyone is able to see the state’s suspension statistics online, but district administrators who were interviewed by the Center for Public Integrity for this report argued the discipline data was incomplete or misleading.
The Center for Public Integrity found that assertion was not backed up by the district’s statistics and found that Fresno’s tendency to suspend homeless students more than housed peers is not a small cohort size. A statistical test took into account that the total number of homeless students showed a significant difference between the suspension of housed and unhoused students.
In a statement, Fresno Unified writes that the district provides students experiencing homelessness with a clinical school social worker who works closely with the child’s school to identify the support they need based on their needs.
This year we also invested in targeted behavior supports specifically for our students experiencing homelessness who are being suspended from school. This support includes a highly skilled practitioner who has expertise in behavior supports. They work with the student, the family, and the school staff to address the underlying behavior needs and develop and implement a behavior plan to help the student be successful in the classroom.
Fresno Unified School District
Guidance under California law encourages educators to consider students’ disabilities before disciplining them.
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