Amanda Sullivan, associate professor and program coordinator in the Department of Educational Psychology’s school psychology program, was the lead psychologist on a congressional briefing entitled, “Exclusionary Discipline at the Intersections of Disability Identity, Race, and Gender,” on June 12.

At the briefing, Sullivan—who was joined by professor Ivory Tolsdon from Howard University—explained the psychological consequences of higher expulsion rates among marginalized student groups. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), chair of the House Education and Labor Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Human Services, expressed her commitment to using congressional oversight of the Department of Education to ensure discipline policies do not discriminate against racial and ethnic-minority students, students with disabilities or other vulnerable student populations.

The briefing was sponsored by the American Psychological Association and Rep. Bonamici. The event was attended by over 60 congressional staffers and representatives of the National Academy of Sciences and various professional groups and associations from in the capitol.