Denver, (EFE) .- The Hispanic and other minority groups were disproportionately punished in public schools in Colorado, despite the measures implemented five years ago to reverse the situation, says a new report.

According to figures released by the Colorado Department of Education during the academic year 2008-2009, of 818,000 students in local schools, 8.5 percent, or nearly 70,000, was suspended, expelled or reprimanded for misconduct, from possession of drugs or firearms to cause disruptions in class or disobeying teachers.

According to the same report, Latinos accounted for 28.4 percent of the student population in Colorado, but were involved in 37 percent of discipline cases.
By comparison, African American students are 5.9 percent of all students, but 12.7 of those convicted. At the same time, 61 percent of students are Anglo, and 46.8 percent of those who were sanctioned belong to that group.

Put another way, 6.5 of every 100 white students, 11 out of 100 Latino students and 18 out of 100 African American students received some form of discipline. The racial disparity also is higher for minority males than whites, as 23 percent of African American men and 15 percent of Latino men were punished, but only 9 percent of whites it was.
Janelle Krueger, Division of Safe Schools and Drug Free the Colorado Department of Education, these statistics “alarming” because it revealed “an institutionalized attitude and behavior” toward students of certain races or ethnic groups.

That means, the official explained that while minority students are punished for “disobedience” or “misconduct”, i.e., behaviors that are left to whom the sanction applies, other students are disciplined for conduct more objective, as carrying weapons.

However, although the state of Colorado requires us to report the ethnicity of the students punished, that information is included in the totals only, and does not specify or in any particular case or for each type of conduct sanctioned.

The report also indicates that since 2000 to date decreased the percentage of students punished in Colorado from 11.1 percent at the beginning of the decade to 8.5 percent today. But according to Judith Martinez, in charge of the Prevention Initiative Colorado Department of Education, the decrease was due to schools replaced the policy of “zero tolerance” for the “promotion of a system of positive behavior.” EFE

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