After witnessing the unrest that occurred in the wake of the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri on August 9, 2014, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon established the 14-member Ferguson Commission on November 18, 2014 to examine and provide recommendations about conditions in the region that were impeding progress, equality, and safety. One of the "Ferguson Commission Report"'s "Calls to Action" is to eliminate the options for out-of-school suspensions and expulsions as discipline practices for students in Kindergarten through third grade, because such removals from instruction impede long-term outcomes. During the school year starting in 2014, the proportion of suspensions meted out to Kirkwood's students of color was 3.7 times the proportion of enrollment that comprised students of color. In July 2017, concerned district parents described their children's experiences with suspensions to the board of education. The district put together a committee to examine the issue; the superintendent stated that personnel had received training about trauma-informed and restorative practices, and would be receiving anti-bias training. On August 20, 2018, the board of education approved a revised discipline policy which eliminated suspension and expulsion for elementary school students (in grades preschool through five) unless required by law; the policy also requires the use of restorative justice practices.