Author Archives: Suspensionstories

About Suspensionstories

Suspension Stories is a youth-led participatory action research project to understand the school to prison pipeline. This initiative is the result of a collaboration between the Rogers Park Young Women's Action Team (www.rogersparkywat.org) and Project NIA (www.project-nia.org).

Suspensions in the Chicago Public Schools

Posted on February 18, 2011 by Suspensionstories

The following is an excerpt from an article about school suspensions in Chicago: Nearly 45,000 of Chicago Public School’s more than 410,000 students were suspended at least once last year, according to district data. Though that number is down from … Continue reading →

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Schools Really Need to Stop Suspending Youth Because of Hair Issues…

Posted on February 17, 2011 by Suspensionstories

Here’s another case of sheer stupidity. For her 12th birthday, Stephanie Plato was allowed to get a new hair color. She ended up getting an in-school suspension as another “gift.”

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Suspended from Kindergarten…

Posted on February 14, 2011 by Suspensionstories

By Megan Kenny From the Audacious Ideas Blog: The Maryland State Department of Education recently released its data on suspensions, expulsions, and health-related exclusions for the 2009-2010 school year. As I was preparing an OSI-Baltimore factsheet using the numbers, an … Continue reading →

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Welcome to the Suspension Stories Website!

Posted on January 31, 2011 by Suspensionstories

It has taken well over a year but we are pleased today to officially launch the Suspension Stories Website.  This initiative is a partnership between the Rogers Park Young Women’s Action Team (YWAT) and Project NIA. This youth-led participatory action research … Continue reading →

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This is really incomprehensible…

Posted on January 28, 2011 by Suspensionstories

The Birmingham city school system, responding to a lawsuit challenging the use of pepper spray against students, argues that the system has no federal constitutional duty to protect students’ safety from the actions of third parties — in this case, … Continue reading →

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Suspensions Dramatically Increase in NYC & Disproportionately Target Blacks/Special Ed Students

Posted on January 27, 2011 by Suspensionstories

The number of student suspensions in New York City public schools spiked dramatically over the past decade while the length of suspensions grew longer – a phenomenon disproportionally affecting black students and students with disabilities, according to a report released … Continue reading →

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7 Year-Old Suspended For Finger Pointing…

Posted on January 24, 2011 by Suspensionstories

Dispatch from Oklahoma: OKLAHOMA CITY, Jan. 21 (UPI) — An Oklahoma woman said she was outraged when school officials gave her 7-year-old son an in-school suspension for pointing his finger like a gun. School officials — without confirming the identity … Continue reading →

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A Teen Suicide Leads to Questions about Harsh School Disciplinary Policies

Posted on January 23, 2011 by Suspensionstories

From the Washington Post: The apparent suicide of a 15-year-old high school football player in Fairfax County has sparked concern about the school district’s disciplinary policies, which critics say are overly punitive and often debilitating for students. The concerns come … Continue reading →

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Is America Criminalizing Childhood?

Posted on January 15, 2011 by Suspensionstories

A dramatization of how U.S. schools are criminalizing students as young as 6 years old…

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Kev Martinez: ‘When I Do Math” Poem about School Pushout

Posted on January 14, 2011 by Suspensionstories
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More Police, More Tickets, More Criminalization of Youth

Posted on January 10, 2011 by Suspensionstories

With more police in schools, Texas kids get more tickets Spike in tickets for kids as young as 6 as number of campus officers has increased By TERRENCE STUTZ Dallas Morning News AUSTIN – Students in Dallas and other urban … Continue reading →

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Zero Tolerance – A Comic

Posted on January 8, 2011 by Suspensionstories

A terrific group of youth participated in a 5 session comic workshop series this past year. The series was sponsored by Project NIA, the Jane Addams Hull House Museum, and the Chicago Freedom School. The teaching artist was Rachel Williams. … Continue reading →

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