California DOJ says school district discriminated against Black students in discipline policies

A two-year settlement requires policy changes, staff training and state monitoring after investigators found Black students and students with disabilities faced harsher punishment than others.

California officials say Black students and students with disabilities in Natomas Unified School District faced discriminatory discipline under policies that disproportionately sent them into harsher punishment.

The findings at NUSD are part of a settlement announced Friday by Attorney General Rob Bonta after a state civil rights investigation. The agreement comes amid renewed debate over federal discipline policy and recent findings on school arrest disparities affecting Black students.

“Ensuring all of California’s children have a fair and equal opportunity at success in school is a top priority — and we’re committed to taking action,” state Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement. “I look forward to our continued collaboration and am confident that Natomas Unified will continue to implement these reforms to ensure they are in compliance with the law and that every child has equal access to a quality public education.”

The California Department of Justice said its review of discipline data from the 2018-19 through 2024-25 school years found Black students and students with disabilities were substantially overrepresented among students referred for discipline. Those groups were also more likely to receive exclusionary discipline, including out-of-school suspensions and expulsions.

Investigators concluded the district’s practices were not necessary to meet a legitimate educational purpose because less discriminatory alternatives were available. The state also found Natomas Unified issued suspensions for disruption or willful defiance, including to some students in kindergarten through eighth grade, even though California law prohibits those suspensions in grades K-12.

The investigation, which began in January 2023, included years of records, site visits and interviews with community members. State officials also found that the district released confidential student education records to third parties without the required consent from parents or guardians.

Under the two-year settlement, Natomas Unified must revise discipline and student-record policies, provide annual staff training, hold yearly information sessions for parents and guardians, and review exclusionary outcomes following expulsion referrals. The district must also appoint a coordinator to oversee compliance, create a student privacy section on its website and work with a Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports provider.

The California DOJ said Natomas Unified had already begun changing some policies before the agreement and cooperated during the investigation.

A separate Sacramento County grand jury report released in June found that Black students at some Natomas schools tended to receive more severe punishment through suspensions. It also cited state findings of significant disproportionality involving Black students in special education and chronic absenteeism.

The settlement requires the district to carry out a two-year reform plan memorialized in a stipulated judgment, while California officials monitor the district’s compliance.