Suspensions: Education’s Answer to Troubled Kids

I had an opportunity to get a better understanding of where our local educational system now stands.  There had been an incident involving my nephew getting suspended for 5 days for something that seemed the punishment was worse than the crime. After attempts to get him back in school, it became quite clear that once a decision has been made by the administration the avenues to get a child back in school takes longer than the actual days the child is suspended.  This has to change if for no other reason than to show our children that they truly are innocent before proven guilty.

“If you continually suspend a child without addressing the causes of the suspensions, that child is just going to give up," says Andrea Coleman of Partners for Youth.”  “Coleman, a specialist in juvenile justice says, nationwide, school suspensions are out of control.”  “We're seeing a tremendous jump in the number of fourth and fifth graders that are being suspended," says Coleman.”  “Lexington's Northern Elementary School was suspending an alarming number of students, until Principal Peggy Petrilli put a stop to it.” “A suspension will not cure the behavior, it will not change the misbehavior, and if they think, 'Hey, if I'm bad I'll get myself suspended and I'll be able to get out of here,' Oh no, they won't get suspended," says Petrilli.” “Now she sends kids to in-school suspension and every minute spent there must be made up in classrooms, after school or on Saturdays.” “The result: troubled, abandoned and abused kids are kept as busy as all the others, and test scores show a dramatic improvement.” (Holguin, Jaime 5/1/2004, Lexington, KY, School Suspensions: Do They Work? Some Experts Give Harsh Approach A Failing Grade retrieved from www.cbsnews.com) “In a study by Guindon, Jerry 1992, Developing A In-School Suspension Program In An Elementary School As An Alternative To Home-bound Suspension. Nova University; 1992. 62 pages. ED 349 679.  Retrieved from www.tandl.leon.k12.fl.us), an in-school suspension program was implemented in a New England elementary school for four months with the following results: all program objectives were met, ISS students received counseling, there was no drop in grades, accurate daily records were maintained, parents were notified, and 14 out of 19 students suspended in ISS returned to the classroom with little or no problems. Based on these results, the program was continued and considered successful. A study by the National Institute of Education (1978-80) utilized 10 school sites across the country to observe in-school suspension programs. The descriptive data from the study indicated discipline improved as a result of the existence of the in-school alternative, and administrators felt they were meeting their program objectives. (Chobot and Garibaldi, 1982, In-School Alternatives to Suspension: A Description of Ten School District Programs. The Urban Review; v14 n4 p317-336. Retrieved from www.tandl.leon.k12.fl.us)

Could this be the answer?  I do not know for sure but it should at least be honestly attempted considering the advantages of this type of program.  Do not the fight for our children’s future and the future of this nation worth it?

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