This policy brief explores the growing concern around student behavior and school discipline, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which exacerbated existing inequities and increased trauma for students and educators. It highlights the long-standing conflation of school safety and school discipline—distinct but often treated as one—by policymakers, a trend dating back to the 1990s and intensified by federal laws that introduced securitized responses to student misbehavior. These responses, including increased surveillance and exclusionary discipline, have disproportionately harmed students of color without making schools safer. The brief emphasizes the need to separate discipline from safety in policy conversations and advocates for evidence-based, supportive strategies that address root causes of behavior while reducing disparities and fostering safer, more inclusive school environments.

Suggested Citation: Welsh, R.O. & McGraw, K.J. (2025). Stuck between a rock and a hard place? Disentangling the intersections of student behavior, school discipline, and school safety in the post-COVID era. Boulder, CO: National Education Policy Center. Retrieved [date] from http://nepc.colorado.edu/publication/safety