As a Special Education Director, I spend a lot of time in the same conversations—at IEP tables, in leadership meetings, and on webinars with colleagues across the country—about how to keep students safe while also ensuring they feel included, supported, and treated fairly. The U.S. Department of Education’s March 2023 resource, Guiding Principles for Creating Safe, Inclusive, Supportive, and Fair School Climates, is a timely reminder that discipline is not just a “behavior issue.” It is a school climate issue, an access issue, and—very often—a disability and civil rights compliance issue.
Schools can maintain safety and high expectations without relying on harsh exclusionary practices that remove students from instruction. The guidance highlights a reality districts see in their own data: exclusionary discipline (including suspensions, expulsions, and referrals to law enforcement) is frequently used in ways that are disproportionate for students of color, students with disabilities, English learners, and LGBTQ+ students. The impacts are not theoretical—lost instructional time, weaker relationships with school, and increased risk of involvement with the juvenile legal system are all documented concerns.
Below are the five guiding principles, translated into practical district actions. I’m also naming a challenge many of us are managing in real time: staffing shortages in mental health and related services. Capacity-building is not optional; it is the work.
Why these guiding principles matter right now
The guidance makes a clear case that exclusionary discipline can be harmful and often ineffective at reducing future challenging behavior. National data show millions of days of instruction are lost due to exclusionary discipline. When students are removed from learning environments, we lose opportunities to teach replacement behaviors, address root causes, and provide supports that actually change outcomes.
From a special education lens, we also have an obligation to address behavior in a way that supports access to a free appropriate public education (FAPE). That means investing in positive behavioral interventions and supports and ensuring discipline procedures are implemented fairly and consistently.
Guiding Principle 1: Foster belonging with a positive, safe, welcoming, and inclusive environment
Belonging is not a “nice to have.” It is foundational to engagement, attendance, and learning. The guidance emphasizes that positive school climate is associated with improved academic outcomes and teacher retention.
- Strengthen relationships through professional learning that helps educators express care, provide support, share power, and maintain high expectations.
- Ensure equitable access to welcoming mental health services for students across race, culture, language, disability, religion, sexual orientation, and gender identity.
- Provide rigorous, culturally relevant learning environments that connect curriculum to students’ lived experiences and communities.
- End corporal punishment and replace it with evidence-based approaches (e.g., PBIS, trauma-informed practices, restorative practices).
District tip: If your code of conduct is heavy on consequences and light on prevention, it’s time to rebalance. Students should be able to articulate what support looks like—not just what punishment looks like.
Guiding Principle 2: Support social, emotional, physical, and mental health needs using evidence-based strategies
This principle is where many districts feel the strain most acutely—especially when school psychologists, counselors, social workers, and SLPs are in short supply. The guidance recommends a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) framework that integrates academic, behavioral, and mental health supports.
- Implement MTSS with fidelity, ensuring Tier 1 universal supports are strong and consistent across classrooms.
- Use data for early intervention by reviewing discipline, attendance, engagement, and academic indicators—disaggregated by student groups.
- Invest in integrated student supports and coordination so services aren’t fragmented.
- Implement restorative practices as both prevention and intervention, focused on community-building, accountability, and repairing harm.
- Consider the WSCC model (Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child) to align health and learning supports across the system.
Staffing reality check: MTSS cannot rest on one or two specialists. It requires training general education staff, building building-level teams, and creating clear referral pathways. When shortages exist, districts often benefit from supplementing services through teletherapy and other flexible staffing models so students can access support without long waitlists.
Guiding Principle 3: Increase educator capacity to support high-quality teaching and learning
Students do better when they have trusted adults at school. But educators need training, coaching, and systems that make effective practice doable.
- Provide pre-service and ongoing professional development in classroom management, trauma-informed approaches, bias awareness, and positive behavior supports.
- Teach child and adolescent development so staff can distinguish developmentally typical behavior from behavior that signals a need for intervention.
- Adopt relationship-centered practices, including restorative approaches, with schoolwide training and support.
- Ensure access to certified mental health staff and provide them training in culturally competent, evidence-based interventions.
- Require detailed documentation of disciplinary actions to improve consistency, transparency, and monitoring.
- Clarify definitions of infractions and consequences to reduce subjectivity and inconsistent enforcement.
Compliance note: Documentation and clear definitions are not just operational best practice. They are part of how districts demonstrate nondiscrimination and respond appropriately when discipline intersects with disability protections.
Guiding Principle 4: Recruit and retain a diverse educator workforce
The guidance highlights that a diverse workforce benefits all students and may improve outcomes for students of color, including reduced exclusionary discipline and increased engagement.
- Recruit and retain educators from diverse backgrounds and support culturally sustaining practices.
- Diversify school-based mental health professionals to improve accessibility, relatability, and reduce stigma.
- Support and retain staff through mentoring, manageable caseloads, and professional growth pathways.
District strategy: When shortages are severe, “recruit” is only half the plan. The retention side—workload, supervision, and access to high-quality tools—often determines whether staff stay. Flexible service delivery options can also reduce burnout and stabilize coverage.
Guiding Principle 5: Administer discipline fairly, with dignity and respect
This principle is where policy meets practice. Fairness is not only about consistent consequences; it is also about meeting student needs proactively so discipline is less likely to be triggered in the first place.
- Co-create policies with educators, families, caregivers, students, and community members using surveys, forums, and feedback loops.
- Ensure discipline is developmentally appropriate, especially for young learners.
- Make policies accessible and clear so families understand expectations and procedures.
- Build two-way communication with families before problems arise, in multiple languages and formats.
- Evaluate impact using disaggregated data (race, disability, gender identity, etc.) and remove subjective language that fuels disproportionality.
- Implement PBIS with fidelity as a preventive, multi-tiered, culturally responsive framework.
- Clarify the role of law enforcement so routine discipline is handled by educators and trained mental health professionals, with clear guardrails and civil rights compliance.
From the parent meeting perspective: Families are more likely to trust the process when they can see that the school’s response includes support, skill-building, and a plan to prevent recurrence—not just a consequence.
Where TinyEYE fits: building capacity when schools need it most
Districts are being asked to do more—implement MTSS, expand mental health supports, improve discipline equity, and sustain compliance—while navigating staffing shortages. Online therapy services can help schools fill gaps in service delivery, maintain continuity, and provide students timely access to qualified professionals. When thoughtfully integrated into MTSS and aligned with building-level teams, teletherapy can support both intervention and prevention goals that improve school climate.
Closing thought
The March 2023 guiding principles reinforce what many district leaders already know: safe schools and inclusive schools are not competing goals. When we invest in evidence-based supports, strengthen educator capacity, and monitor discipline for fairness, we create conditions where more students can stay in class, stay connected, and succeed.
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