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An opinion article published by The 74 argues that racial disparities in school discipline persist in Illinois, citing 2024-25 figures showing students of color were more likely to be suspended or expelled. The authors warn that a recent, nonbinding letter from the U.S. Department of Education could discourage schools from examining those disparities. The article advocates enforcing Illinois’ 2015 discipline law and investing in alternatives to exclusionary punishment.
A The 74 opinion article argues that racial disparities in school discipline persist in Illinois, citing 2024-25 state figures showing students of color were 2.2 times as likely as white students to be suspended or expelled by a district. The authors raise the figures in response to a recent nonbinding letter from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights warning schools that analyzing discipline data by race could expose them to legal liability.
According to the opinion article, students of color made up 71.8% of Illinois expulsions and suspensions in the 2024-25 school year while representing 55.7% of the state’s student population. The article says the figures show that exclusionary discipline remains disproportionately concentrated among students of color. The source does not identify the specific state data release or provide the underlying district-by-district figures.
The article’s authors say the federal letter is not legally binding and characterizes it as a warning against analyzing racial disparities in discipline. They dispute the letter’s suggestion that prior federal guidance had deterred administrators from disciplining students and made schools less safe. The article argues that reviewing disparities can help identify unequal treatment, including cases in which students are disciplined differently for the same behavior.
The piece calls for Illinois to enforce its existing law and invest in restorative and other supportive approaches. Its claims about the causes and effects of discipline practices are the authors’ analysis, not findings independently established in the supplied material. The article does not include a response from the Department of Education or Illinois education officials.
Discipline Decisions Affect School Access
Suspensions and expulsions remove students from the classroom, making the way schools use them consequential for access to instruction and student support. The disparities cited by the article raise questions about whether students are treated consistently and whether districts are meeting the goals of Illinois’ law.
The federal letter adds a policy concern: if schools interpret its warning as a reason to stop examining discipline data by race, they may have less information with which to identify patterns. The article’s authors argue that data analysis is necessary to uncover discrimination that may not be apparent from the wording of a policy alone. Whether schools will change their data practices in response to the letter remains unknown.
The disagreement also concerns how school safety and discipline are understood. The article rejects the claim that tracking disparities discourages discipline and says supportive alternatives can address behavior while keeping students connected to school. The supplied material does not provide independent evidence comparing the safety effects of punitive and restorative approaches.
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Illinois’ Discipline Reform Law
The article traces Illinois’ reform efforts to a period of high suspensions associated with zero-tolerance policies in the early 2000s. It cites a 2012 Civil Rights Project report that found Illinois had the country’s highest suspension rates for Black students. It also points to a 2015 Chicago Reporter analysis that found Black students were about six times more likely than white students to be suspended or expelled; that figure comes from an earlier analysis and should not be confused with the 2024-25 state figures.
The opinion piece says Black and Latino parents organized through COFI POWER-PAC IL to seek changes to school discipline. Their advocacy, according to the article, helped lead to a 2015 Illinois law requiring suspension and expulsion to be used as a last resort, after less exclusionary interventions have been tried. The law also encouraged districts to invest in whole-child and community supports, including school-based restorative justice models.
The authors contend that Illinois has not adequately enforced the law or invested in restorative alternatives. The source offers this as their assessment; it does not provide enforcement records, spending figures, or a state agency response to support a separate evaluation.
“A student of color is on average 2.2 times more likely to be expelled or suspended by the district than white classmate.”
— The 74 opinion article’s authors
Questions About Data and Federal Guidance
The supplied article does not name the date or provide the full text of the Department of Education letter, nor does it identify the officials who issued it. It says the letter is nonbinding and warns schools about legal liability, but the precise guidance schools are expected to follow and its practical effect are not established here.
Details behind the 2024-25 figures are also absent: the source does not specify how the 2.2-to-1 comparison was calculated, which disciplinary actions are included beyond suspensions and expulsions, or how rates differ by district, grade, or type of incident. The article’s assertion that students of color are punished more harshly for similar behavior is an argument supported in part by cited analyses; the supplied material does not include incident-level records or a state investigation confirming that conclusion.
It is also unclear whether Illinois districts have changed their data collection or discipline practices since the federal letter, how the state monitors compliance with its 2015 law, and whether officials will issue further guidance. No response from federal or state authorities is included in the source material.
Enforcement and District Responses
The opinion article urges continued enforcement of Illinois’ 2015 discipline law and sustained funding for restorative and other supportive interventions. It also calls on advocates to keep pressing for changes at the local and state policy levels.
The source identifies no scheduled court case, agency deadline, legislative vote, or formal state review as the next milestone. Readers seeking developments will need to watch for guidance from the Department of Education, responses from Illinois education officials, and district-level information on discipline and compliance. Further data would be needed to determine whether disparities have changed and how schools are responding to the federal letter.
Key Questions
What did the Illinois figures cited in the opinion article report?
The article says that in the 2024-25 school year, students of color were, on average, 2.2 times as likely as white students to be suspended or expelled by a district. It also says students of color accounted for 71.8% of those actions while making up 55.7% of the student population.
What did the federal letter say about discipline data?
According to the opinion article, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights issued a nonbinding letter warning that analyzing racial disparities in school discipline could risk legal liability. The supplied material does not include the letter’s full text.
What does Illinois’ 2015 discipline law require?
The article says the law requires schools to use suspension and expulsion as a last resort, after trying less exclusionary interventions. It also encouraged districts to develop supports, including school-based restorative justice models.
Does the source establish why the disparities occur?
No. The authors argue that students of color are disciplined more harshly and that racial data analysis can reveal unequal treatment. The supplied material does not include incident-level data or an independent investigation establishing the causes of the reported disparities.
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