Disproportionate Impact of K-12 School Suspension
Do you agree with the statement that dismissing a student for bad behavior in school often simply pushes that behavior out into the world? Majority of students in the Southern States that are suspended from public schools are black. Some people have referred to some schools that have a high suspension rate as "Prison Pipelines". Many districts are incorporating Positive Behavior Interventions and Support (PBIS) to decrease the behavior students are typically written up for. PBIS schools have shown a decrease in the amount of students being suspended. So what are school's role in addressing the diverse needs of our students and families that they serve. We cannot simply tolerate bad behavior in our schools to prevent suspension, but how do we put in supports that allow us to remediate behavior and provide students with a better opportunity?
In our school system we utilize a program called STAR.
ReplyDeleteStudent Transition and Recovery Program.
This program proactively addresses the needs of students who are primarily in grades 6-8 and who have committed offenses that warrant suspension from school or detention in a juvenile facility by juvenile authorities. Upper elementary students (depending upon their age) are eligible for courtesy visits and one-day “prevents”. With parental consent, students experience a daily STAR regimen, supervised by a drill-instructor, aimed at strengthening self-discipline, improving self-esteem and increasing academic performance.
The program emphasizes both parental responsibility and the student’s life skills, starting each day at 5:30 AM in a physical training session, and concluding with several hours of structured homework and conduct review. Transportation must be provided by the parent/ guardian.
A student’s placement in the STAR Program is a disciplinary option applied in several ways:
- STAR Courtesy Intervention, a review period, held between student and STAR instructor, at the request of teacher and administration.
- One-day “prevent” session, in which the students are referred to the program by school administrators, with parental cooperation, for disciplinary infractions.
- 30-day session, in lieu of expulsion.
- 24-week session in which students are placed in response to a court order, as an alternative to incarceration.
This program has helped a few students to straighten up and fly right. However, there are a few who could care less. I like the program because students are called on the carpet for their actions and students are kept in school.
Since the issue has been brought up as a sensitive one towards the plight of some of our black students let me add this to the thread. First, teachers must implement some form of culturally relevant teaching to their teaching craft. Second, teachers have to make the curriculum relevant to the students they teach. Third, a significant portion of students regardless of racial bearing act out because they are bored in the classroom. Finally, I firmly believe we have a significant number of teachers who do not understand black culture nor do these teachers know how to address actions, behaviors, and speech commonly associated with being black. Our students (black) have to figure out a school world designed in many cases for them to fail and stay true to their cultural being. I have often wondered why I feel forced to know a world where white dominates but I do not believe whites have a clue about how to survive in a black world.
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