The Tse’bii’nidzisgai Elementary School in Monument Valley, Utah. Photo by Scot Zimmerman / Green Journey

American Indian students at public schools in Utah are more likely to face harsher punishment than their peers, according to a new study.

Based on data from the Department of Education, researcher Vanessa Walsh found that Indian students are 3.8 times as likely to face disciplinary action compared to their White counterparts. They are 7.5 times more likely to be expelled and 7.1 times as likely to be referred to law enforcement.

"Utah is pushing American Indian students into the pipeline at alarming rates," Walsh wrote in Disparities in Discipline: A Look at School Disciplinary Actions for Utah's American Indian Students. "In 2011, the most recent year for which data is available, this student population comprised the smallest student demographic in the state and the was most frequently expelled, referred to law enforcement, and arrested for school related incidents—all the most severe forms of school disciplinary action."

The study contained some alarming examples of how Indian students are singled out. Fifty-five students, from kindergarten through sixth grade, were referred to law enforcement in 2011, compared to zero for White students.

More recently, two Indian students were reported to law enforcement for drinking two soda bottles from a refrigerator in the teacher's lounge. "This is a theft," the disciplinary report stated.

American Indians represent just 1.3 percent of the student body yet they account for a larger percentage of disciplinary actions, according to the study. In the Murray school district, for example, the disparity was incredibly high -- nearly 50 percent of Indian students received a disciplinary action, compared to around 11 percent for White students.

Only 65 percent of Indian students finish high school, according to 2014 data cited by the study.

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American Indian students in Utah face harsh discipline (High Country News 5/22)