Out Of School Suspension Paper

(a) This study examines out-of-school suspensions in the 9th grade and their effect on high school and post-secondary outcomes. This analyses also examines demographic disparities in school suspensions, their relationship to poverty and their contribution to high school graduation and post-secondary attainment gaps.

The public schools system acts as an early introduction into the criminal justice system not only through the enactment of out of school suspensions that contributes to the high dropout rates amongst inner-city children but also as an early labeling and socialization tactic through the need to have security officers and metal detectors. Through the suspension process teachers, adults and students alike associate the reasoning and purpose of the suspension to criminal behavior placing words such as offender, crime, and self-defense when incidents pertaining to black men occur, they uphold the rules of the school regardless of the reasoning behind the call for administrative assistance within instances of delinquency or emotional and behavioral challenges, and neglect to fix the problem of grouping all students specifically minorities as one (Gibson

According to information obtained in Detroit Free Press Michigan has data showing that Michigan suspends at least a thousand students in the state each year (Higgins, Tanner, 2016). Last school year, Michigan alone had suspended more than 1,300 students (Higgins, Tanner, 2016). Suspensions for schools have a distinct meaning. It the forced action of taking a student out of educational premises for an agreed upon time because of inappropriate action of the student (Department of Education, 2016). Each school has its own written code of conduct for discipline. The court case San Antonio v. Rodriguez says education in the United States is a right (Black, 2015). An examination of the due process requirements afforded students in short and long-term

Racial disparities in school discipline have garnered recent attention in national reports issued by the U.S. Department of Education and Justice (U.S. Department of Education, 2014; Gregory, Hafen, Ruzek, Mikami, Allen, & Pianta, 2016). Suspension rates Black students are two to three times higher than those from other racial and ethnic groups. Various research has documented that Black students remain overrepresented in school discipline sanctions after accounting for their achievement, socioeconomic status, and teacher- and self-reported behavior (Gregory et al, 2016). There is a difference as to the reasons why White students are sent to the office versus Black students. Black students are sent to the office for subjective reasons such as “disrespect” and “perceived threat”, while White students are more than likely to be referred for more objective reasons including, smoking, vandalism, and leaving school without permission. (Gregory, et al, 2016). African Americans and especially African American boys, are more likely to be disciplined and often receive more out-of-school suspensions and expulsions than white students (Todd Rudd, 2014). Suspending students is taking away time from them being in the classroom. Students who receive suspensions, lose instructional time, fall behind on course work, become discouraged, and ultimately drop out…recent research has shown each suspension a student receives can decrease their odds for high graduation by any

Out of school suspensions (OSS) are often enforced with the assumption that students receiving the suspension are less likely to repeat the problem behavior in the future. However, this has been proven to be false. Suspending a student for engaging in a certain behavior does not in fact serve as a deterrent from the behavior but as a deterrent from attending school instead. In actuality, receiving just a single suspension can increase the probability of a student experiencing academic failure, school dropout, and involvement in the juvenile justice system. Knowing this, some educators still believe that for many students, suspension can serve as an effective lesson. One of the greatest concerns that educators and administrators face is the matter of classroom management. It is part of their job to ensure a safe, productive and supportive classroom allowing students to learn and grow to their greatest potential. Though there are several strategies gauged towards managing a classroom, the most severe offences often lead to either in or out of school suspension. Some of the largest concerns faced with out of school suspensions is that they are often ineptly applied, used unfairly against students of color and seemingly ineffective at producing better behavior. Also known as exclusionary discipline, the majority of offenses that led to OSS have not been centered around violence but instead emphasised issues of classroom insubordination and defiance. In some rather extreme cases

School data suggests that the decision to suspend or excel a student depends on several factors including prior history of the student, particulars of the situation, and the teacher’s ability to manager classroom behavior (Skiba, 2003). However observations of classroom behavior show that the majority of students removed from urban classrooms were not primarily due to dangerous or major infractions of disciplinary policies and usually they weren’t even the worst offenders.

Zero tolerance policies are the catalyst for the School-to-Prison pipeline. The problem with zero tolerance policies rely on several different factors. Even though, the vision for zero tolerance policies is clear in the sense that safety is a main priority, A ten year study of zero tolerance policies conducted by the American Psychological Association concluded that the use of these overly harsh policies "did not improve school safety." Since these policies are not increasing school safety it is a clear indicator that change in disciplinary methods is necessary. Additionally, these overly harsh policies create racial disparities mainly focused on minorities. The reason for these racial disparities particularly arise from implicit bias. Unfortunately, student of color and minorities are disportionately represented in suspensions, expulsions, and arrests. Exclusionary discipline principles disproportionately lead the youth, particularly minorities, from classrooms to court and prisons. Racial disparities within school’s disciplinary actions is clear when looking at discipline rates. The Civil Rights Data Collection, gathered by the US Department of Education, graphed suspension rates and disparities in a national test sample during 2012. Figure 1 portrays the ratio of white students that constitute for a little more than half of students enrolled in school while black and hispanic students constitute for less than

The Ontario school system’s obsession with punishing what it considers to be deviance has resulted in punishments that are often too severe and ultimately ineffective. During the 2014-2015 school year, 85,557 suspensions were issued in Ontario schools. The 2015-2016 school year saw 85,931 suspensions, and increase of nearly 400 suspensions. These statistics make it clear that the punishments administered by the Ontario school system are ineffective. Punishment in Ontario schools mirrors that of fascist regimes through its often inappropriate severity in the name of maintaining

Studies have also found a correlation between exclusionary discipline and (1) increased school avoidance, (2) decreased academic engagement, (3) an increased rate of dropouts, (4) increased behavioral problems, and (5) increased involvement with the juvenile justice system. School administrators have the right to want to develop a safe climate for their students and teachers and remove threats from their schools. However, serious threats from students are rare. Nearly 60 percent of the suspensions and expulsions administered in HPS in 2009-2010 were administered for school policy violations—a category that includes things like insubordination, profanity, sleeping in class, and truancy—not serious safety concerns like violence against others or weapons.

The following discussion of practice and policy related issues found within the article puritan to a “qualitative” study “conducted in the Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota metropolitan area from September 2009 to May 2012” (Gibson & Haight, 2013, p.264). The main objective of the study was to evaluate the “culturally nuanced” definitions and perceptions on out-of-school suspensions; In hopes of discovering new ways in which “schools and families can work together to decrease racial disparities in out-of-school suspensions” (Gibson & Haight, 2013, p. 263). Thirty participants were interviewed within their own homes through “in-depth, individual, and audiotaped interviews.” (Gibson & Haight, 2013, p. 263). In reviewing the study interviews, a few practice-related issues were discussed, concerning educators lack of understanding of cultural diversity among their students, as well as school personnel 's failure to fully listen to each individual 's concerns when addressing discipline issues.

According to Reclaiming Michigan's Throwaway Kids (2009), students enter school each day and are often greeted by metal detectors, armed security guards, police dogs, school and local police on campus. Each year, more than 3 million students receive an out of school suspension because of their actions while on school property. Opponents claim these security measures limit a student’s opportunity to a quality education, reduces opportunities, and criminalizes students who lose their educational opportunities (Reclaiming Michigan's Throwaway Kids, 2009).

Rancho Minerva Middle School (RMMS) is located in the rural area within the Vista Unified School District (VUSD). A major issue occurring at RMMS is corresponding to sixth to eighth grade male students being recipients of ineffective punishments as a result of their disruptive behavior. Students’ disruptive behavior refers to those who engage in altercations, disrupt teachers during instruction time, and become involved in substance use. The ramifications for students with disruptive behaviors are followed by disciplinary approaches such as expulsions, suspensions, Saturday school, and after school detention. Such approach has resulted in students achieving lower academics which can also increase the chances of engaging in risky behavior outside the school. According to RMMS School Accountability Report Card (SARC), in the 2014-2015 school year, RMMS reported 10.4% suspensions which demonstrated to be higher than the previous years. Additional factors that have had an effect on suspension rates are the limited in house services provided to this particular population at RMMS. Though RMMS does not have an appointed mental health provider or personnel to assist with mental health support on site, students are granted the opportunity to be referred to outside providers/therapist for counseling services. However, this has been a major limitation for our

As Superintendent Lopson, I first need to analyze the current policy. The policy is that suspensions are not concrete and it is the discretion of the principals. In order to come up with a solution, the superintendent needs to have another meeting with his board, once this issue has calm down. Right now, principal’s supporters are influencing the decisions of district. What needs to happen, is the district needs to vote on whether or not they will change the suspension policy. They should not do it at this meeting, since they have a lot distraction and outside influence. I would start by saying that changing the policy will be decided based on feedback. What I would do is send surveys to parents, principals, and teachers from the schools and have them express their concerns in terms the current policy. The surveys would be collected, data would be interpreted, and the board would make a decision. In the end, Mr. Lopson needs to

Student behavior and discipline in the classroom have been impacted by legislation and litigation as was discussed in an article written by Mitchell Yell and Michael Rozalski, The Impact of Legislation and Litigation on Disciple and Student Behavior in the Classroom. The authors believe that all students should receive their education in safe, orderly, and well-disciplined schools but maintaining these environments has become a major challenge for educators (Yell, M & Rozalski, M, 2008). Most states have laws that govern discipline in schools which also protect the rights of students in public education (Yell, et.al, 2008). These state laws control the actions of school officials when they carry out certain discipline-related functions, such as gathering evidence (e.g., searching students, their lockers, or their personal property), seizing contraband from students’ backpacks, or conducting any administrative actions that restrict a student’s property interest to attend school (e.g., suspension, expulsion) (Yell, et.al, 2008). A student’s entitlement under state law to a public education is

School discipline is to ensure that students and the campus staff are safe and peaceful. According to the U.S. Department of Education on Rethinking Discipline (2017), “Teachers and students deserve school environments that are safe, supportive, and conducive to teaching and learning.” The idea is to decrease bad behavior and school violence which will lead to fewer suspensions and expulsions. There are rules and limitations when it comes to student discipline; there are acts in which students can and must be disciplined. For examples, if a student quality’s for special needs some different guidelines protect them under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act’s (IDEA). Furthermore, the Education Code, Section 48900 was implied to discipline students who committed any wrongful doing such as attempting or threatening to physical harm another person. In the case f any wrongfulness, the student is forced to be disciplined by being suspended or expulsed from school.