Alternatives to Suspension

Suspensions and expulsions have been used as a way of reprimanding students for committing offenses. In fact, many districts and schools have zero tolerance policies, which have been policies that have punished students for committing violent behavior and acts or have possessed drugs on campus. However, many schools have implemented these policies on nonviolent offenses and these implementations have resulted in an increase in suspension and expulsion rates. In addition to this, African American students have been disproportionately affected by zero tolerance policies. This is shown by the Cogent Education journal as they included a 2009 study of the Chicago Public School System that found that "African American boys represented 23 percent of the school-age population, 44 percent of students who were suspended, and 61 percent of students who were expelled within the 2007 school year." (Johnson, 2023).

In addition to the impact that these policies have on African Americans, the other negative aspect is that these students are receiving less educational time as a result of these suspensions. As a result, they are not receiving equitable access to the learning content and will be more reluctant to be interested in their studies. This leads to decreases in student graduation rates as they won't have the motivation to learn in their classes. 

Due to the negative impacts of suspensions and expulsions, we suggest that schools should find alternatives to suspensions. Alternatives to suspensions allow students to reflect on the offenses that they have committed and prevent those offenses from being repeated. In addition, these alternatives to suspensions allows students to have access to their learning content as these effective alternatives will be implemented on school campuses. 

There are three alternatives to suspensions that schools can pursue;

1. Restorative Chats (Also known as restorative justice)

Restorative chats are the practice of sitting down with a student to discuss the offense that the student had committed. In these discussions, students have the opportunity to reflect on and try to repair the offense that they had caused. Both the student and staff members work out strategies in this chat that will prevent the offense from repeating. These chats are supported by the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) as they note that "Engaging in a brief conversation with the student allows the student to reflect on what occurred, problem solve the situation, and understand what appropriate future actions (including support from adults) are necessary." (NASSP, 2017)

2. Reflective Apologies During Detentions

When detentions are assigned to students who have committed offenses, we suggest that students should use this time to reflect on the actions that they had committed. These reflections can come in the form of written apologies and those apologies can be addressed to the student or staff member who was on the receiving end of this offense. In these apologies, students should state the offense that they committed, why they are apologizing for this offense, and will state ways in which the student will prevent the offense from repeating. 

3. Parental Involvement

Whenever a student does commit an offense, it is crucial that the parent or guardian of that student should be aware of this offense. As a result, we recommend that schools should work with the student and their parents or guardians to create a comprehensive behavioral plan that will be designed to prevent future offenses. This alternative to suspension is also another way in which parents can foster and build a positive relationship with their student's school. This strategy is supported by the The Write of Your Life, which is an organization that trains educator to mentor and educate students who have been affected by trauma and crime. They note that "when parents are more involved, they can help brainstorm approaches to reducing negative behavior and monitor that change." ("Creating Alternatives," n.d.)

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