School Safety, Severe Disciplinary Actions, and School Characteristics: A Secondary Analysis of the School Survey on Crime and Safety

Abstract

On the basis of a secondary analysis of survey data collected from 1,872 secondary school principals in the 2005–2006 School Survey on Crime and Safety, we examined the frequency of and reasons for severe disciplinary actions and the relationship between school characteristics and severe disciplinary actions. We found that severe disciplinary actions were frequently taken for insubordinations and physical attacks or fights rather than for weapon-related problems. After controlling for the level of students’ problem behaviors, we found that schools serving a larger number of disadvantaged students (underachievers, special education students, ethnic minority students, and students in poverty) tend to use severe disciplinary actions more frequently than do schools with a smaller number of disadvantaged students. Recommendations for ameliorating this inequality in disciplinary practices are offered.