Ohio Senate approves bill limiting suspensions of young students

[TexasTowelie]

Ohio schools could no longer impose out-of-school suspensions for young students who commit minor offenses under a bill that unanimously passed the Senate on Wednesday.

Ohio elementary schools have handed out an average of 35,000 out-of-school suspensions over each of the past two years. Almost half were for disruptive or disobedient behavior, nearly two-thirds were black children, and 90 percent were from low-income households.

“In recent years, the number of young children being suspended or expelled in Ohio schools has skyrocketed,” said Sen. Peggy Lehner, R-Kettering, a lead bill sponsor. “The evidence is overwhelming — exclusionary discipline policies do nothing to improve school culture or student behavior.”

The concern is suspensions pile punishment onto youths acting out in the classroom often as a result of trauma experienced at home from neglect, physical abuse or stress from poverty.

Read more: http://www.dispatch.com/news/20180516/ohio-senate-approves-bill-limiting-suspensions-of-young-students

[Phoenix61]

1. Out of school suspension never made sense to me

Most kids want out of school. Also, how does that teach them the skills they need to be successful in school? There are so many better options. Here's a novel one. Bring back recess. Three 15 minute recesses a day would do wonders. It lets the little ones burn off some energy and gives the teacher a wonderful tool to encourage good behavior. I can still remember my third grade teacher asking the class "Do we need to stay in this afternoon?" Talk about settling a class down fast. Also, it gives children an opportunity to practice social skills and problem solving.