An Issue of Equity and Inclusion: Disproportionate Suspension and Expulsion Rates of Black and Indigenous students

This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) is based on a problem of practice (PoP) in the Laoshi District School Board (LDSB), a central Ontario public school board, that champions equity and inclusion. Despite the emphasis on these values, the LDSB is witnessing disproportionately high suspension and expulsion rates of Black and Indigenous students. This PoP, when viewed through the anti-oppressive (AO) and critical race theoretical frameworks (CRT), is a problem of social justice and equity. This work is undertaken in a time of growing societal awareness of the issues faced by marginalized and vulnerable communities. This OIP examines the impact of progressive discipline practice, neoliberalism, and continued existence of colonialist ideology on Black and Indigenous students as causes of the exclusionary discipline practices. As such, a transformative leadership approach, rooted in addressing and correcting societal inequities, has been utilized. An adapted version of The Change Path Model: Cawsey-Descza-Ingols (CPM) and the Nadler-Tushman Congruence Model (NTC) are employed in this OIP to undertake the proposed solution of incorporating trauma-sensitive and restorative justice practices within the school board. This OIP proposes the use of trauma-sensitive and restorative justice practices to lower the suspension and expulsion rates of Black and Indigenous students and address one of the current inequities faced by these students. Keywords: trauma-sensitive, restorative justice, transformative leadership, anti-oppressive theoretical framework, critical race theoretical framework, social justice, neoliberalism, progressive disciplin