The following is a synopsis of two practitioner-oriented articles that discuss school discipline alternatives to suspension and expulsion, which often lead to student drop-out and involvement in the juvenile justice system. The authors both focus on support, rather than punishment:<\/p>\n
In \u201cRethinking Our Approach to SCHOOL DISCIPLINE\u201d and in \u201cA Resource Guide for Improving School Climate and Discipline\u201d the authors encourage schools to shift away from school disciplinary policies that suspend and expel students and instead move toward creating a more supportive environment for students and staff. While both authors recognize the desire of teachers and school staff to have control over their classroom, they each believe that there are proportionate and fair ways to maintain control.<\/p>\n
In \u201cRethinking Our Approach to SCHOOL DISCIPLINE\u201d the author recognizes that teachers are under \u201cpressure to remove disruptive students from the classroom,\u201d yet stresses that policies which\u00a0remove students from the classroom are very harmful, as they increase a student\u2019s risk of dropout and of getting involved in the juvenile justice system.1 <\/sup><\/a> Instead, the author highlights alternatives that many districts and schools have been using, such as giving more resources to school staff and providing students with supports and services, such as mental and behavioral health supports, that will help students positively integrate into the school.1 <\/sup><\/a> The author of \u201cA Resource Guide for Improving School Climate and Discipline\u201d agrees, stressing that removing students from the classroom should be \u201ca last resort\u201d and should be proportional to the misbehavior.2<\/sup><\/a> Instead of removing students from school, the author argues that schools should have social emotional learning programs and mental health professionals so that students who have struggled can learn the skills they need in order to \u201cengage and thrive\u201d in the school environment.2<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n In both articles, this importance of a supportive, rather than punitive environment is emphasized. Additionally, both articles stress that discipline must be fair. In \u201cRethinking Our Approach to SCHOOL DISCIPLINE\u201d the author discusses how suspensions and expulsions are disproportionately applied to minorities and students with disabilities and how this fact should encourage schools to refrain from using such policies.1 <\/sup><\/a> The author of \u201cA Resource Guide for Improving School Climate and Discipline\u201d agrees, arguing that school disciplinary policies must be clear, fair, and establish proportional punishments.2<\/sup><\/a> Fairness, according to the author, constitutes responses that are \u201cwithout regard to a student’s personal characteristics.\u201d2<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n Lastly, both articles stress the importance of involving families, students, staff, and the community in the process of creating a positive school climate and in drafting disciplinary policies. Such involvement, according to both authors, also necessarily includes \u201cprofessional development and training opportunities for all staff\u201d2<\/sup><\/a>\u00a0which would necessarily include \u201ceducators, specialized instructional support personnel and school resource officers.\u201d1<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n For the full articles, click on the links below:<\/strong><\/p>\n “Rethinking Our Approach to SCHOOL DISCIPLINE”\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n