๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ๐๐ป๐ด ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ผ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฝ๐ผ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฏ๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐บ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ ๐๐ฐ๐ต๐ผ๐ผ๐น?
As we recognize Youth Justice Action Month, I think this is an important question to ask.
New analysis of federal civil-rights data shows that during the 2023โ24 school year:
โข 2.5 million students experienced at least one out-of-school suspension.
โข 2.3 million experienced an in-school suspension.
โข Nearly 7 in 10 public schools reported increased demand for student mental health services since the pandemic.
Some suspensions aren't always connected to serious safety concerns. The analysis points to behaviors such as truancy, repeated tardiness, and dress-code violations among the reasons students are suspended. Every time we remove a young person from school, we're also removing them from instruction, relationships, support, and connection and we know that lost instructional time matters.
So maybe the question shouldn't only be: โWhat should we do instead of suspension?โ
Maybe we should also be asking: โWhat is this behavior telling us?โ
Is the student struggling academically?
Are there issues at home?
Is transportation a barrier?
Are they disconnected from school?
Are there unmet mental health or behavioral health needs?
Is there something happening in the student's life that we haven't taken the time to understand?
And most importantly:
๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฝ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ช๐๐๐๐ ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐๐ป๐ด ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ผ๐ป ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ป๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ฐ๐ต๐ผ๐ผ๐น?
School discipline isn't separate from youth justice. The decisions we make in schools can affect a young person's connection to education, their relationships with adults, their sense of belonging, and ultimately their pathway forward.
Youth Justice Action Month gives us an opportunity to look at those connections and ask what we can do differently. Not every behavior needs a punitive response. Sometimes the most effective response is one that helps us understand why the behavior is happening, addresses the underlying need, holds the young person accountable, and keeps them connected.
So lets ask "What can we do differently?"
https://www.kpbs.org/news/education/2026/10/07/5-things-civil-rights-data-says-about-public-schools?
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