Relying on out-of-school suspensions, expulsions, and the legal system to handle disciplinary problems in schools, rather than the traditional school-based methods such as detention or counseling, has created a “school discipline crisis” in Florida, concludes a report.
“Arresting Development: Addressing the School Discipline Crisis in Florida” is available from the Advancement Project.
Despite the growing number of police referrals and out-of-school suspensions in the state over the past five years, prevention and intervention programs have proven to be more effective and more cost-effective methods of maintaining school safety than the more punitive disciplinary measures, the report contends.
The report—produced by the Florida State Conference NAACP, the Advancement Project, a Washington-based legal and civic advocacy organization, and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund—is based on the findings of public hearings conducted in Florida last fall regarding discipline policies and practices in the state’s public schools.
