APS Demographic Stats and Suspensions

[Anonymous]

I’m generally a supporter of APS, but this article caught my attention:

https://www.arlnow.com/2025/11/17/aps-suspensions-drop-but-big-demographic-disparities-persist/

We had a situation with one of our kids in middle school where a grade-level principal kept trying to push for disciplinary action over things that were either minor or simply didn’t happen. It reached the point where it felt like she was looking for reasons to suspend white and Asian students to “balance” the numbers. Suspension was never appropriate for any of the incidents, yet the pressure was constant.

It makes me think someone should file a FOIA request to pull the record of disciplinary complaints at the middle schools—especially any showing patterns of overreach tied to closing demographic “gaps.” A friend went through something similar, and shared with me their whole email saga, which told the same story: the middle school principal didn’t have the ability to remove the grade-level principal, and the grade-level principal was essentially acting on her own in how she handled discipline.

Fortunately, in our case, the principal ultimately stepped in and shut it down.

[Anonymous]

Our middle school seems to let the disproportionate groups get away with anything

[Anonymous]

Yes.
-teachers

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes.
-teachers

I feel like they work so hard to keep things undocumented.

[Anonymous]

My white student with ADHD (at that point, undiagnosed) was suspended a couple of times in middle school. I think it's one of the reasons APS fought me so hard on the IEP, because they had decided that he was just a problem kid. Adult now, and he's awesome (but uneducated, thanks to APS).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes.
-teachers

+1 from a neighboring district.

[Anonymous]

In a similar vein, there’s nothing harder than getting special ed services for an African-American male. Depending on a school’s stats that year, they often hand out IEPs to white kids like candy. Unless, of course, the family of color brings an advocate or attorney with them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In a similar vein, there’s nothing harder than getting special ed services for an African-American male. Depending on a school’s stats that year, they often hand out IEPs to white kids like candy. Unless, of course, the family of color brings an advocate or attorney with them.

In my experience there are cultural factors as well. Many AA families do not want a label

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I’m generally a supporter of APS, but this article caught my attention:

https://www.arlnow.com/2025/11/17/aps-suspensions-drop-but-big-demographic-disparities-persist/

We had a situation with one of our kids in middle school where a grade-level principal kept trying to push for disciplinary action over things that were either minor or simply didn’t happen. It reached the point where it felt like she was looking for reasons to suspend white and Asian students to “balance” the numbers. Suspension was never appropriate for any of the incidents, yet the pressure was constant.

It makes me think someone should file a FOIA request to pull the record of disciplinary complaints at the middle schools—especially any showing patterns of overreach tied to closing demographic “gaps.” A friend went through something similar, and shared with me their whole email saga, which told the same story: the middle school principal didn’t have the ability to remove the grade-level principal, and the grade-level principal was essentially acting on her own in how she handled discipline.

Fortunately, in our case, the principal ultimately stepped in and shut it down.

so do it

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes.
-teachers

I feel like they work so hard to keep things undocumented.

110% agree. Naming names: Kenmore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In a similar vein, there’s nothing harder than getting special ed services for an African-American male. Depending on a school’s stats that year, they often hand out IEPs to white kids like candy. Unless, of course, the family of color brings an advocate or attorney with them.

In my experience there are cultural factors as well. Many AA families do not want a label

Very true. But if the family seems to be neutral on the subject or not very involved with the process, the school will fight, fight, fight it.

[Anonymous]

Discipline in schools needs to be taken very seriously from the first offense (see Newport News shooter), but it needs to be individualized AND it needs to be fair!
But it does NOT NEED TO BE BALANCED by skin color!!! Enough of this already!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes.
-teachers

Yes - what?!

You are trying to “balance” discipline by skin color? How?! 25-25-25-25 for each major group? Or balance by that particular school so if that school had 50% Hispanics 50% of Hispanics receive discipline - no more no less?! If the ratio is out of whack you look the other way? Pure lunacy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In a similar vein, there’s nothing harder than getting special ed services for an African-American male. Depending on a school’s stats that year, they often hand out IEPs to white kids like candy. Unless, of course, the family of color brings an advocate or attorney with them.

In my experience there are cultural factors as well. Many AA families do not want a label

Very true. But if the family seems to be neutral on the subject or not very involved with the process, the school will fight, fight, fight it.

They fight fight fight against it from white kids, too. It is not handed out like candy. Because it is a ton of paperwork, time, legal requirements, resources and money.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes.
-teachers

Yes - what?!

You are trying to “balance” discipline by skin color? How?! 25-25-25-25 for each major group? Or balance by that particular school so if that school had 50% Hispanics 50% of Hispanics receive discipline - no more no less?! If the ratio is out of whack you look the other way? Pure lunacy.

I didn’t say *I* do that. I was agreeing with the previous poster that the school district does that.

Honest question… Was that really unclear???