Category Archives: Harsh Disciplinary Policies

On Teachers Calling Kid “Future Criminals” and the School-to-Prison Pipeline

by Latoya Peterson A first grade teacher in Paterson, New Jersey was recently put on administrative leave after she took to the internet to vent her frustrations about work. According to NBC New York, the teacher was suspended for “allegedly … Continue reading

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Orr High School Is Pushing Students Out…

From Catalyst Chicago: By Rebecca Harris On Monday, March 21, 2011 In High Schools In the month that Tyese Sims has been principal of Orr High, she has dropped 44 students from the rolls, she acknowledges. But one community group … Continue reading

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5 Myths about Zero Tolerance Disciplinary Policies

From the Washington Post: The American Psychological Association put together a task force to research the effectiveness of zero-tolerance disciplinary policies, and the panel issued a report titled, “Are Zero Tolerance Policies Effective in the Schools? An Evidentiary Review and … Continue reading

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In NYC, Grade School Suspensions Up 76 Percent

From the NY Daily News: Suspensions for 4- to-10-year-olds soared by 76% since Mayor Bloomberg took control of city schools, the Daily News has learned. Elementary school-age students were hit with 6,119 suspensions in the 2008-09 school year – up … Continue reading

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‘What Kids Can Do’ Profiles Suspension Stories…

by Barbara Cervone CHICAGO, IL—“He who opens a school door closes a prison,” Victor Hugo wrote in his 19th-century masterpiece, Les Miserables.  Yet in today’s United States, students as young as six years old are being suspended, expelled, and even … Continue reading

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Moms Debate Zero Tolerance Policies on NPR

You can listen to the story here. The recent suicide of a student in suburban Washington, D.C., after being suspended from school has sparked a fierce debate on disciplinary policies. Angry parents say “zero tolerance” rules are too harsh on … Continue reading

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Schools That Punish Young Men For Being Allies to Young Women Are Misguided and Wrong

By Mariame Kaba (cross-posted at Chicago Taskforce on Violence against Girls Blog) I was stunned to read about the case of a high school senior in Mississippi who was suspended and sent to an alternative school for 5 weeks for writing … Continue reading

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Maryland Reviews Zero Tolerance Policies in the Wake of a Virginia Student’s Suicide

From ABC 2: Headlines in the Washington Post are turning the heads of some state school board members in Maryland after a student who admitted to buying a fake drug from a classmate was kicked off the football team, transferred … Continue reading

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In Florida, Bra Straps Can Lead to Suspensions…

Here is what’s happening in Florida: Students showing bra straps or underwear, beware. Sen. Gary Siplin, D-Orlando, wants you to cover up. The Senate Pre K-12 Education Committee passed Siplin’s “Code of Student Conduct” legislation Monday, which requires district school … Continue reading

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Suspensions in the Chicago Public Schools

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…

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…

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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