6/3/15 • By Pat Schneider

A new study reveals that the vast majority of colleges look at student disciplinary records during the admissions process, a practice that college access advocates call a civil rights issue that disproportionately bars students of color and students with disabilities from higher education.

“Education Suspended: The Use of High School Disciplinary Records in College Admissions,” found that three-quarters of colleges and universities collect high school disciplinary information, and that 89 percent of those institutions use the information in making admission decisions. The study, conducted by the Center for Community Alternatives, also found that half of all high schools disclose disciplinary information to colleges, even though they are not required to do so.

What’s more, 75 percent of colleges that include disciplinary records in admissions do not have written policies on how to use them and 62 percent of high schools have no written policies on disclosure of the records.

The Center for Community Justice, a New York-based nonprofit organization, advocates on behalf of students involved in the criminal justice system.

Since a 2012 release of federal data showing that African-American students and students with disabilities were disproportionately suspended and expelled, school districts across the country — including the Madison Metropolitan School District — have been revamping discipline policies in an effort to end the disparity.

This study looks at how the disparate impact of school discipline practices may follow students beyond their K-12 years.

“The stark racial disparities in the application of suspension and expulsion make the use of this information a civil rights issue,” the authors write.

Officials from the Center for Community Justice are calling on college admissions officers to stop asking for the disciplinary files of students and for high school officials to stop providing them.

“In the absence of data that show how many students are accepted or rejected once they disclose a disciplinary record, it is not enough for college admissions counselors to offer assurances that a school disciplinary record is not likely to impede admission to college,” the study’s authors conclude. “Moreover, vague assurances will do little to assuage the fears of students who are the most vulnerable to school suspension – poor students of color, whose life experiences have subjected them to exclusion in many social domains.”

As for the high schools’ participation, one argument raised by the study appeals to the to high schools’ self interest.

“High schools do not benefit from disclosing the information because it may limit access to higher education for their students,” Emily NaPier, a senior research associate and spokesperson for the CCA, told Education Week.