Conceptualizing the Receipt of Unfair School Discipline Through A Betrayal Trauma Lens

We contribute to the literature on school discipline by investigating why some Black students, parents, and advocates perceived particular punishments as unfair. Using Betrayal Trauma Theory (BTT) as a framework, we conducted qualitative interviews with twelve Black parents and five community activists who assisted Black children throughout the school discipline process and perceived such punishments as unfair. We also interviewed four Black children who received punishments at school that they perceived as unfair. Participants reported that instances of unfair school punishment created barriers to graduation, criminalized Black students, and permitted victimization to occur on school grounds.