# Plain Language Summary: Ending PUSHOUT Act of 2025

This bill aims to reduce harsh discipline practices in schools that push students out of the classroom, particularly students of color and those with disabilities. The core problem the bill addresses is that certain students—especially Black and Brown girls—face disproportionately severe punishments like suspensions and expulsions for minor infractions, while other students receive warnings for similar behavior. These practices remove students from learning time and often lead them to drop out of school entirely.

The bill tackles this issue in several ways. First, it requires schools to collect detailed data on who is being disciplined and how, breaking down the numbers by race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability status, and income level. This transparency is meant to expose patterns of discrimination. Second, the bill bans or severely restricts certain punishments, including corporal punishment (physical hitting or striking), seclusion (locking a student alone in a room), and chemical restraints (drugs used to control behavior). It also eliminates zero-tolerance policies that automatically suspend or expel students for specific infractions. Third, the bill prohibits schools from punishing students for minor violations like dress code violations involving hairstyles, religious clothing, or makeup—issues that disproportionately affect students of color and religious minorities.

The bill also addresses "informal removals," where school officials quietly remove students from class without officially documenting it as a suspension, which currently allows schools to hide discriminatory patterns. Additionally, it requires schools to use trauma-informed approaches and positive behavioral support systems instead of purely punitive discipline, recognizing that many students act out because they've experienced trauma or have unmet mental health needs. The bill also limits the role of police officers in schools, preventing them from handling routine school discipline matters that should be handled by educators.