Heather Mac Donald’s connection of holiday-season mall violence with federal pressure for public schools not to uphold disciplinary standards that may affect minorities disproportionately is worthy of consideration:

The Trump administration must tear up every guidance and mandate in the Justice and Education Departments that penalize school districts for disproportionate rates of school discipline. Absent clear proof of teacher or administrator racism, Washington should let schools correct student behavioral problems as they see fit. Students in classrooms where disruption is common are far less likely to learn; that is the civil rights problem that should get activists’ attention. Taxpayer dollars should not be funding specious federal crusades against phantom discrimination; school districts might have more resources if their local taxpayers were not also being hit by federal levies, which are redistributed around the country in the delusional pursuit of “social justice.” Until the two-parent family is reconstructed, classrooms remain the only hope for socializing children and for preventing the teen violence that broke out across the country this Christmas. Schools can only accomplish that civilizing mission, however, if they are allowed to insist on strict rules, respect for authority, and consequences for misconduct.

I generally agree with Mac Donald’s reasoning, here, although I’d want to look at some more evidence of the claim that she’s making if such a policy were to come up in Rhode Island.  Assuming she’s correct, though, I can only wonder how we can get people to see such progressive destruction for the misguided meddling that it is.