This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Every year, 3.3 million students in the United States are suspended from school for minor violations, causing them to miss valuable classroom time, fall behind in school, and drop out. School police are charging kids with criminal offenses, pushing them into the criminal system, costing us valuable time and money for things that should be taken care of in school.
Twenty years of research shows that suspensions do not improve student behavior. It's time to start asking our schools, school districts, and state legislators why our schools are still using outdated automatic suspensions, juvenile court referrals, and other unproven methods for school discipline.
State policy makers need to take an active role in providing the necessary guidance our schools need to help them start implementing proven, effective, research-based alternatives to the ineffective, unproven disciplinary methods currently being used in our schools.
Two advocacy groups offer more information: http://www.fixschooldiscipline.org and http://stopsuspensions.org
Stephanie Schaible
Harrisville