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119-s-1338119th CongressWALLET

Ending PUSHOUT Act of 2025

Sponsored By: Senator Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ]

Introduced

Summary

This bill would end discriminatory exclusionary discipline by creating federal data collection, a competitive Healing School Climate grant program, bans on specified suspensions and restraints, and a Joint Task Force focused on girls of color.

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  • Students and families: Would bar out-of-school suspension or expulsion for preschool–grade 5 unless a serious physical injury is involved, and would bar suspensions or expulsions for insubordination, willful defiance, truancy, tardiness, grooming violations, and similar offenses through grade 12. It also would prohibit corporal punishment, seclusion, mechanical restraint, and chemical restraint.
  • Schools and educators: Would fund competitive Healing School Climate Grants for local educational agencies and qualifying nonprofits, with priority for schools showing pronounced discipline disparities. Grant funds must be used for evaluation and must follow the programs required protections and prohibitions.
  • Federal oversight and funding: Would require the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights to collect and publish annual, disaggregated data on suspensions, expulsions, law enforcement referrals, arrests, placements, and related outcomes while protecting privacy. It would create a 21-member Joint Task Force to study causes and make recommendations and would authorize $500 million per year for the grants and task force and another $500 million per year for the data work.

*Would authorize up to $1.0 billion per year, increasing federal spending.*

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

4 provisions identified: 4 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.

Yearly school discipline data collection

This bill would require the Department of Education to collect yearly data on discipline in every public preschool through grade 12. The data would include suspensions (in- and out-of-school), number and length of suspensions, lost instruction days, expulsions and withdrawal agreements, transfers, law-enforcement referrals and arrests, placements in residential or confinement settings, and reasons for each action. Data must be broken down by race, ethnicity, sex (including sexual orientation and gender identity when possible), grade, disability (including IDEA/504), low-income status, English learner, foster care, housing status, tribal descent, pregnancy/parenting, and other groups. The data would be privacy-protected, publicly accessible in multiple languages and formats, and would take effect upon enactment.

Grants to reduce harsh school discipline

The bill would create competitive Healing School Climate Grants for local school districts, certain charter and Bureau of Indian Education LEAs, and qualifying nonprofits. Grants must prioritize schools with big discipline disparities and must be used to reduce exclusionary and discriminatory discipline. Recipients would have to ban many out-of-school suspensions and expulsions for young children and for non-serious offenses, prohibit corporal punishment, seclusion, and most chemical or mechanical restraints, and allow life‑threatening restraints only in narrow emergencies with strict conditions. The rules would take effect upon enactment for grant recipients.

Clear definitions for school discipline

This bill would add clear legal definitions for many school-discipline terms. It would define things like appearance or grooming policy, chemical restraint, corporal punishment, out-of-school suspension, school-based law enforcement officer, disability (IDEA/504), seclusion, mechanical and physical restraints, pushout, and trauma-informed services. Those definitions would apply across the bill to shape data, grants, allowed practices, and prohibitions, and would take effect upon enactment.

Joint Task Force to End Pushout

The bill would create a Joint Task Force, led by Education and Health and Human Services, to study school pushout and racial disparities. The Task Force would have 21 competitively chosen members appointed within 60 days after enactment and would exclude law enforcement members. It must report recommendations to Congress within 360 days and then every two years. Reports must be public, ADA-accessible, and in multiple languages.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ]

NJ • D

Cosponsors

There are no cosponsors for this bill.

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

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