Rep. Robin Kelly Stands with Pressley, Pelosi, DeLauro’s Unveiling of Groundbreaking GAO Report on Pushout of Black Girls in Schools

The GAO's review-which is the first study to directly examine the underlying infraction data among discipline disparities and identify factors that contribute to them-also found that the discipline gap is largely driven by differences in discipline within the same schools, and that biases such as adultification and colorism contribute to the harsher discipline of Black girls.

"Congresswoman Pressley's and Speaker-Emerita Pelosi's work to unveil this groundbreaking report confirms Black girls' experiences in schools nationwide. Black girls are unfairly disciplined in schools, resulting in an unsafe environment where they feel no adult genuinely cares about them," said Congresswoman Robin Kelly. "As co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Black Women and Girls, I will continue to advocate for equal treatment of young Black girls. They deserve every opportunity to succeed and thrive."

In December 2022, Congresswoman Pressley and Speaker-Emerita Pelosi wrote to the GAO requesting that it examines the disparate impact of school disciplinary policies and practices on Black and brown girls in K-12 public schools. The GAO's findings underscore the importance of Congresswoman Pressley's Ending PUSHOUT Act, which would address this issue through systemic policy changes and robust data collection.

"This damning new report affirms what we've known all along - that Black girls continue to face a crisis of criminalization in our schools - and the report provides powerful new data to push back on the harmful narrative that Black girls are disciplined more because they misbehave more," said Congresswoman Pressley. "The only way we can address this crisis is through intentional, trauma-informed policy. I hope this report will motivate Congress to advance legislation including my Ending PUSHOUT Act to address the discriminatory pushout of Black girls in schools and create safe, nurturing school environments where every student can thrive. I'm grateful to the GAO for conducting this important study and to Speaker-Emerita Pelosi and Ranking Member DeLauro for their partnership."

"This groundbreaking GAO report - that I was honored to join Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley and Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro in requesting - highlights the unacceptable discrimination that Black and brown girls face in K-12 schools every day," Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi said. "The wildly disproportionate number of Black and brown girls who face harsher, more frequent discipline is truly a challenge to the conscience of our nation. Thank you, Congresswoman Pressley, for shining a vital spotlight on a tragic injustice in our schools that has been overlooked for far too long."

"Students are only able to learn if they feel safe and are allowed to participate in school. This report confirms and provides further evidence for what we have long known to be true: Black girls receive more frequent and more severe discipline in school than other girls. This disparity causes many Black girls to lose instructional time and suffer consequences after their time in school," said Ranking Member DeLauro. "I thank Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley and Speaker-Emerita Pelosi for their leadership on this issue and their partnership in requesting this important GAO report. It will inform our work on the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) Appropriations subcommittee to protect civil rights and improve the wellbeing of our nation's children. I hope that, because of these important findings, schools across the country and policymakers at every level of government examine the use of exclusionary discipline policies that are disproportionately harming Black girls."

To read the GAO's full report, click here.