Groups: OMB Must Maintain Data Collection on Preschool Suspension

Washington, D.C. – Today, 149 national, state and local groups urged the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to maintain the question about preschool/child care suspension and expulsion in the 2017 National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH). This data fills a crucial gap in the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) by including data from parents whose children are not in public preschools and contributes to public understanding of the scope, frequency, and racially disproportionate use of suspensions and expulsions on young children.

In the April 11, 2017 notice published in the Federal Register, the Department of Health and Human Services proposed removing the question from the survey. The civil rights, education and research groups’ comments to Dominic J. Mancini, the Acting Administrator for the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) call for the retention of the preschool suspension and expulsion question in the collection and future collections so that parents, advocates, educators, service providers, researchers, policymakers, and the public have access to data to drive change in the service of high-quality and equitable supports for, and treatment of, all children. 

"As organizations committed to the fair and appropriate treatment of all children in all settings, we have long been alarmed by the high and racially disproportionate rates of exclusionary discipline of children beginning in early childhood and continuing through high school…Given clear data that expulsions and suspensions regularly occur in preschool settings and have a negative impact on child development, health, and education we continue to press for changes to policy and practice – and the critical data that makes systemic change possible," the letter states.

 The full letter to OIRA is available at www.civilrights.org/advocacy/letters.

The Leadership Conference Education Fund builds public will for federal policies that promote and protect the civil and human rights of all persons in the United States. The Education Fund's campaigns empower and mobilize advocates around the country to push for progressive change in the United States. It was founded in 1969 as the education and research arm of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. For more information on The Leadership Conference Education Fund, www.leadershipconferenceedfund.org.

Featured

  • Bradley Company Highlights Hygiene Tips for Global Handwashing Day

    In honor of Global Handwashing Day on October 15, commercial washrooms and emergency safety solutions provider Bradley Company recently released the results of its 2026 Healthy Handwashing Survey. The findings indicate simple, practical steps that facilities managers can take to encourage good hygiene on campus.

  • Wenger Names New Vice President of Sales for Performing Arts, Controls

    Wenger Corporation, which provides products and solutions for music and theater education, performing arts and athletic storage, recently announced the hiring of a new Vice President of Sales for Performing Arts and Controls.

  • California District Opens New Robotics Center

    The Fremont Union High School District (FUHSD) in Cupertino, Calif., recently held a Grand Opening ceremony for a new, district-wide Robotics Center, according to a news release. The 14,500-square-foot facility was designed by Quattrocchi Kwok Architects (QKA); Landmark Constructors served as the builder and Blach Construction as general construction manager.

  • Construction Begins on 100+ Acre K–12 Campus Designed for Lakota Culture

    The Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe (CRST) and the Cheyenne-Eagle Butte School District in Eagle Butte, S.D., recently broke ground on a new K–12 campus that will cover more than 100 acres and serve students and families across 1,600 square miles, according to a news release.