School Exclusion and Why Seattle is Not So Progressive

Abstract

As of 2013 Seattle Public Schools District has been under investigation by the Department of Education for the disproportionate and disparate impact of school exclusion policies upon students of color—specifically black students. The City of Seattle, locally, nationally, and even internationally, is currently hailed as being one of the most progressive and liberal cities. However, scratch just beneath the surface and one will find a history of racism that still deeply harms black and brown residents and greatly benefits white residents. This history and the resulting policies create a climate and context where it is difficult to challenge the many ways in which white supremacist policies further marginalize already disenfranchised populations. For this reason, Seattle is really a faux progressive city that will continue to struggle to end the issue of racial disproportionality and disparate impact in Seattle Public Schools’ school discipline practice and, specifically, use of school exclusion practices unless the City, Seattle Public Schools, and the residents make some major paradigm shifts. This paper will investigate these issues by investigating Seattle’s history and the issue of school exclusion from multiple vantage points utilizing a Critical Race Theory lens.