Several national groups are asking school districts to stop the practice of keeping suspended students off campus and instead to replace that form of discipline with what they consider to be “more constructive” approaches.
The New York City-based Dignity in Schools Campaign, joined by more than 50 other groups, launched its call for a moratorium on out-of-school suspension at a gathering in Los Angeles last week.
The groups cited a growing body of research and data that show the disproportionate use of suspension, in which black and Latino students and those with disabilities are more likely to be suspended and more likely to be punished harshly compared with other students for the same infractions.
The groups have created a website, www.stopsuspensions.org, which asks district leaders to sign a yearlong pledge against suspending students out of school.
