School Counselors - Helping Students Rule Their Experiences (GSCA 2025 Annual Conference)

Being Part of the Machine: The rise of punitive discipline in schools, how it marginalizes students, and how we can advocate for them.

Wednesday, November 12, 2025 at 1:00 PM–2:00 PM EST

Pine (40 seats)

Target Audience

All Levels

Additional Target Audience (e.g. Target Audience is School Administrator with an Additional focus on Elementary)

School Administrator

Primary focus area of your proposal

Advocacy

Session Summary

The research is clear: punitive discipline marginalizes students who are Black, poor, and/or have a disability. In this session, we will discuss how this system of discipline became the gold standard of U.S. public schools, the mechanisms of margnalization, and how they affect students. We'll then discuss ways in which we can advocate for these students to help create meaningful, measureable, systemic change.