The Ending PUSHOUT Act would curb exclusionary discipline in K–12 schools by requiring stronger civil rights data collection and by prohibiting a range of punitive practices. It would also establish a national grant program to support districts and nonprofits in implementing restorative, evidence-based approaches to discipline and would create a joint task force to study and address the pushout of girls of color.
The act is designed to uncover disparities and shift resources toward safer, more supportive learning environments.
At a Glance
What It Does
The act mandates annual civil rights data collection on suspensions, expulsions, and related disciplinary actions, with demographic breakdowns and privacy protections. It also prohibits certain exclusionary practices under grant funding, establishes a grant program to promote non-punitive approaches, and creates a joint task force to study the pushout of girls of color.
Who It Affects
Public preschool through secondary schools, including traditional, charter, virtual, and alternative settings; local educational agencies and the organizations they partner with; students (especially students of color and those with disabilities); educators and school staff; and civil rights advocates.
Why It Matters
By exposing discriminatory patterns in discipline and funding alternatives to suspensions, the act aims to reduce educational disruption and criminalization, promote trauma-informed practices, and establish accountability through reporting and targeted grants.
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What This Bill Actually Does
Section 2 lays out the act’s four core aims: deepen data collection on discipline to reveal disparities, eliminate discriminatory application of exclusionary practices, reduce instructional time lost to discipline, and prevent pushout and criminalization of students with mental health needs or trauma. Section 3 provides definitions for key terms (such as exclusionary discipline, time out, seclusion, and corporal punishment) to ensure clear, consistent usage in policy implementation.
Section 4 requires the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights to collect and publish annual data on suspensions, expulsions, law-enforcement referrals, and related outcomes, disaggregated by race, ethnicity, sex, disability, English learner status, housing, foster care, and other factors, while protecting student privacy. Section 5 creates Healing School Climate Grants to fund districts and nonprofits— totaling $500 million per year—to redesign school discipline away from exclusionary practices toward restorative, trauma-informed approaches, with specific prohibitions on relying on school-based law enforcement, surveillance, and certain restraint methods.
This section also requires training, data collection, and program evaluation. Section 6 establishes a Joint Task Force to End School Pushout of Girls of Color, co-chaired by the Secretaries of Education and Health and Human Services, with a diverse 21-member composition that excludes law enforcement and focuses on research, recommendations, and public reporting.
Section 7 authorizes separate appropriations for grant programs and data collection, ensuring sustained funding. The bill envisions a shift from punitive discipline to safe, supportive learning environments through data transparency, grants, and coordinated national oversight.
The Five Things You Need to Know
The bill requires annual civil rights data collection on suspensions and expulsions, with cross-tabulations by race, sex, disability, English learner status, and other demographics.
Under the grants, preschool–5th grade suspensions (except for serious injury) and most removals for insubordination, grooming violations, or truancy would be prohibited, along with corporal punishment, seclusion, and most restraints.
Healing School Climate Grants authorize $500 million per year to fund restorative, trauma-informed discipline reform in districts and nonprofit partners, with strict prohibitions on school-based law enforcement and surveillance.
A Joint Task Force to End School Pushout of Girls of Color would be established, co-chaired by the Education and HHS Secretaries, featuring students, educators, parents, and civil rights experts to study causes and craft recommendations.
Authorization of appropriations provides $500 million annually for Sec. 5–6 and $500 million for Sec. 4, creating dedicated funding streams for grants and data collection.
Section-by-Section Breakdown
Every bill we cover gets an analysis of its key sections.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the Ending PUSHOUT Act of 2025. It establishes the policy groundwork and the official nomenclature for the subsequent provisions that govern data collection, discipline practices, and program funding.
Purposes of the Act
The Act aims to strengthen data collection on exclusionary discipline, eliminate discriminatory uses of discipline based on race, sex, gender identity, or disability, reduce the loss of instructional time due to punitive removals, and prevent the criminalization and pushout of students facing trauma or mental health needs. It also emphasizes addressing adultification and discrimination within school discipline systems and improving overall school climate.
Definitions
This section provides precise meanings for terms such as exclusionary discipline, time out, seclusion, corporal punishment, and trauma-informed services. It also defines school-based law enforcement, appearance policies, and pushout, ensuring consistent interpretation across agencies and schools.
Strengthening civil rights data collection
The Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights must annually collect and publish data on suspensions, expulsions, and related outcomes, disaggregated by demographic factors (race, ethnicity, sex, disability, English learner status, housing, foster care, tribal status, pregnancy) and by school type. The data must be accessible and privacy-protected, with a focus on identifying patterns of overuse or discriminatory discipline.
Grants to reduce exclusionary discipline practices
The Secretary awards Healing School Climate Grants to eligible local educational agencies or qualified nonprofit organizations. Grants fund the development of non-exclusionary discipline policies, professional development on bias and trauma-informed approaches, and evidence-based alternatives to suspension and expulsion. Funds cannot be used for school-based law enforcement, surveillance equipment, or partnerships with immigration or criminal enforcement agencies. Grantees must report on progress and outcomes.
Joint Task Force to End School Pushout of Girls of Color
A joint Task Force, chaired by the Secretaries of Education and Health and Human Services, will study causes of disparities in discipline affecting girls of color, identify best practices, and develop recommendations for accountability. The Task Force includes students, educators, parents, school officials, civil rights and mental health professionals, and researchers, but excludes law enforcement officers.
Authorization of appropriation
The Act authorizes $500 million annually for the grant program and related activities (Sec. 5 and 6) and an additional $500 million annually for data collection and accessibility work (Sec. 4). These funds are intended to sustain program operation, evaluation, and national oversight.
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Explore Education in Codify Search →Who Benefits and Who Bears the Cost
Every bill creates winners and losers. Here's who stands to gain and who bears the cost.
Who Benefits
- Students of color, particularly girls of color, who experience lower rates of exclusionary discipline and greater access to supportive, trauma-informed services.
- Students with disabilities who historically face higher suspension and expulsion rates and will benefit from inclusive, needs-based supports.
- Educators and school staff who receive training in restorative practices and bias awareness, enabling safer and more constructive classroom management.
- Local educational agencies and public schools that adopt evidence-based, non-exclusionary discipline policies and climate improvements.
- Civil rights organizations and advocacy groups that monitor equity outcomes and push for transparent reporting and accountability.
- School mental health professionals and social workers who can provide trauma-informed services within schools.
Who Bears the Cost
- Local educational agencies may incur upfront costs for policy reform, staff training, data collection infrastructure, and program evaluation, though grants are intended to offset many of these expenses.
- State and district education agencies will bear ongoing administrative costs associated with data collection, reporting, and compliance monitoring.
- Law enforcement and school resource officers may experience reduced demand or funding as grants prohibit the hiring of school-based law enforcement personnel and related partnerships.
- Vendors and contractors who supply surveillance equipment, data-sharing services, or law enforcement collaborations may see reduced demand due to grant prohibitions and policy shifts.
Key Issues
The Core Tension
The central dilemma is whether it is possible to reduce exclusionary discipline and the criminalization of students without compromising school safety and order, and how to allocate limited resources between policy reform, training, and ongoing data collection.
The Bill’s ambition hinges on the capacity of schools to adopt restorative, trauma-informed approaches at scale. Real-world implementation will require robust training, data accuracy, and consistent funding over multiple years.
Privacy protections and data reliability will be critical to ensure that disaggregated reporting does not expose individual students. The act also probes the delicate balance between maintaining classroom safety and avoiding punitive penalties that disrupt learning.
Funding and interagency coordination will determine how effectively districts can replace exclusionary practices with supportive supports.
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