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• By Makiah Lyons, J.D. • IDRA Newsletter • January 2026 •

Discipline Disparities Push Black Girls Out of Classrooms – IDRA Youth-Led Study Examines Discipline in Atlanta-area Schools

Four youth researchers came together recently with IDRA researchers to study the school discipline experiences of Black girls in Atlanta-area schools. In their resulting report released this month, they wrote: “Schools should be a place where all students feel safe and supported, no matter what. But unfortunately, this is not the case for all students.”

IDRA’s Safety, Dignity and Belonging Project was a pioneering legal youth participatory action research project co-led by the four youth: Eden Frazier, Nickell Brown, Natiyaa Carswell and Betzayda Domingo. I had the pleasure of supporting and advising their work in my role then as IDRA’s Equal Justice Works legal fellow.

Youth participatory action research is a research method that situates young people as researchers and experts in the research project (Ozer, 2016). Traditional research frameworks study issues impacting young people but rarely include young people in the research process.

IDRA’s project also deeply considered issues of discrimination and civil rights in our research. For this reason, we describe this project as a legal youth participatory action project.

“We are the future.”

“As young people, research helps us understand the world around us and discover solutions to the problems we face,” wrote the team. “When we know more, we can speak up for ourselves and others… We are the future, and our voices and perspectives matter.”

In the summer of 2024, the student research team began by building connections and understanding as a team, engaging in team-building activities and educational workshops together. They learned about various forms of discrimination, including sexism, racism and adultism, civil rights frameworks and the school-to-prison pipeline. IDRA researcher Christina Quintanilla Munoz, Ph.D., trained the team in research methodology.

We also studied discipline disparities by race and gender nationally using the Black Girls’ Pushout and Criminalization in Schools Data Hub (Bonsu-Love & Mickens, 2025). We studied these same disparities in our backyard using the K-12 Student Discipline Dashboard published by the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement (2021).

We found that, in 2017, Black girls accounted for 15% of girls enrolled in public schools but received 45% of the out-of-school suspensions, 37% of the in-school suspensions and 43% of expulsions (GAO, 2024).

Through our research using these tools, we found that Black girls experience considerable disparities in school discipline assignments nationally, in our state, and in the schools in our communities (Brown & Lyons, 2025).

“I want to bring light to the things girls of color suffer with.”

Dedicated to learning more, the team developed a research plan. After considering several research methods, the team decided to collect data via a focus group, enabling them to hear directly from girls about their experiences firsthand. The team recruited Black girls in Atlanta-area public schools to share their experiences.

Some described being removed from class or punished for behaviors that for white students went unpunished or disregarded.

“I’m very passionate about getting these circumstances of Black girls out to the public so people see their true struggles.”

– Student researcher Nickell Brown

Collectively, we heard stories highlighting a hostile school climate in which many girls feel unsupported, judged and silenced by the very adults responsible for their care.

From the focus groups, the team collected findings across three themes:

• School staff and administrators are often biased in their approaches to resolve behavioral concerns.
• Exclusionary discipline practices erode students’ social and emotional well-being and put students behind academically.
• The use of exclusionary and punitive discipline policies make schools feel hostile and unsafe.

Our research reveals that we have a long way to go to ensure that Black girls are safe, have dignity, and feel that they belong in schools in our community. Schools must change their discipline policies and make sure all students have a fair chance to challenge unfair treatment.

Team member Nickell Brown wrote: “As a Black young girl, I want to bring light to the things Black girls and other girls of color suffer with while just trying to get an education. I want to bring light to the severe consequences of adultification, stereotyping and racial bias. One small encounter with any of these challenges could cause girls to derail for the rest of their lives. I’m very passionate about getting these circumstances of Black girls out to the public so people see their true struggles, along with other girls of color.”

In our report, we proposed an array of solutions to ensure that Black girls do not continue to be unfairly disciplined and are supported in their school environment.

We are excited about the release of our research, shedding light on the school discipline experiences of Black girls in Atlanta-area schools. It is our hope that this report and its findings can inspire students, parents, community advocates and policymakers to create school communities that support Black girls in Atlanta and far beyond.

See the team’s report: Listen to Us! A Legal Youth Participatory Action Research Project on the Discipline Experiences of Black Girls in Atlanta Area Schools (available soon).

Resources

Bonsu-Love, J., & Mickens, K. (October 2025). Black Girls’ Pushout & Criminalization in Schools Data Hub. National Black Women’s Justice Institute, Inc.

Brown, N., & Lyons, M. (February 2025). New Data Hub Spotlights School Discipline of Black Girls in Georgia. IDRA Newsletter.

GAO. (September 2024). Nationally, Black Girls Receive More Frequent and More Severe Discipline in School Than Other Girls. U.S. Government Accountability Office. GAO-24-106787.

Governor’s Office of Student Achievement. (2021). K-12 Student Discipline Dashboard.

IDRA. (2025). Safety, Dignity, & Belonging Project, webpage.

Ozer, E.J. (2016). Youth-Led Participatory Action Research: Developmental and Equity Perspectives. Advances in Child Development and Behavior. DOI: 10.1016/bs.acdb.2015.11.006.

Makiah Lyons, J.D., is a staff attorney at IDRA (makiah.lyons@idra.org).

FAQs

What is the Safety, Dignity and Belonging Project?
It is a legal youth participatory action research project led by students and IDRA researchers examining school discipline practices affecting Black girls.

Who conducted the research?
Four youth researchers, supported by IDRA staff, designed and led the study.

What did the study find?
Black girls face disproportionate and exclusionary discipline that harms academic progress and emotional well-being.

How did students collect information?
Students used focus groups to hear directly from Black girls about their lived experiences in school.

What changes does the report recommend?
Schools should reform discipline policies to reduce bias, eliminate exclusionary practices and ensure fair treatment.

[© 2026, IDRA. This article originally appeared in the January edition of the IDRA Newsletter. Permission to reproduce this article is granted provided the article is reprinted in its entirety and proper credit is given to IDRA and the author.]