Suspensions have some unintended consequences. They disproportionately target minorities, and some students who get suspended are more likely to repeat a grade, drop out of school, and become involved in the criminal justice system. But suspensions are viewed by some as a necessary tool to keep schools safe. It may not be great for the suspended student, but they say it’s more important to keep everyone ELSE at the school safe. Should suspensions be suspended?

TEACHERS: Get your students in the discussion on KQED Learn, a safe place for middle and high school students to investigate controversial topics and share their voices. https://learn.kqed.org/topics/23

According to a 2018 government report, schools have a discrimination problem when it comes to discipline. Black students get disciplined more harshly AND more often than their white classmates for the same kind of misbehavior. That’s why over the last few years, more than HALF of U.S. states have passed laws to REDUCE suspensions. Many are replacing out-of-school suspensions with in-school suspensions. Other schools are trying restorative justice, where the focus is on rehabilitation instead of punishment. However, there are still many schools who want the option to suspend students if necessary. It’s the “keep it local” approach, where each school decides what works best for its students.

What is the school to prison pipeline?

The school to prison pipeline is the cycle where Students who get suspended are more likely to drop out. And students who drop out are THREE TIMES more likely to get arrested. So, suspensions lead DIRECTLY to more people in the U.S. prison system.

What is restorative justice?