Social Workers and Urban School Discipline: Do We Need a Time-Out?

Background School social workers are crucial in recommending alternative disciplinary practices to prevent suspensions and expulsions in schools (Cameron & Sheppard, 2006; National Association of Social Workers, 2013), particularly in urban school districts, which experience higher rates of discipline disproportionality between students of color and White students (Barrett, McEachin, Mills, & Valant, 2017). Objective/Methods Grounded in an ecological systems perspective, the purpose of the study is to determine if the presence of a social worker predicts school suspensions by race and gender in an urban school district. Findings Key findings show that the presence of school social workers has a negative relationship with school suspensions for students of color. Conclusion We advocate for an increase in social worker representation in urban schools and strategic practices to address school discipline.