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Title VI: Discipline: Tupelo Public School District (MS) (06-11-5002)

On September 15, 2014, the Tupelo Public School District (District), entered into a voluntary Resolution Agreement (Agreement) to resolve a compliance review OCR initiated to assess whether the District discriminates against African-American students by disciplining them more frequently and more harshly than other similarly situated students on the basis of race. The Agreement was obtained prior to the completion of OCR’s investigation. Through the Agreement, the District commits to take specific actions to ensure that all students have an equal opportunity to learn in school by implementing fair and equitable discipline policies and practices and creating an environment where all students feel safe and welcome. In addition, the District commits to provide teachers and administrators with the tools and training to support positive student behavior, thereby providing a range of options to prevent and address misconduct and ensure that the District’s disciplinary policies and practices are administered in a nondiscriminatory manner. To ensure that these measures are effectively implemented within the District, the Agreement provides for expert consultation on research-based methods of preventing discrimination against African-American students; specialized professional development for administrators, teachers, and staff; and outreach to students, parents, and community stakeholders to ensure that they have an opportunity to participate in assessing and improving the District’s ability to provide a safe school environment and engage all students in its education program.

Read the Press Release | Read the Resolution Letter download files PDF (536K) | Read the Resolution Agreement download files PDF (260K)

 



   
Last Modified: 01/15/2020