The National School Boards Association has labeled the use of out-of-school suspensions a “crisis” in a new policy guide. It urges change, citing statistics that show 3.3 million students were suspended out of school during the 2009-10 school year, including one in six black students.
The guide, “Addressing the Out-of-School Suspension Crisis: A Policy Guide for School Board Members,” provides specific steps board members can take and questions they should ask, such as whether and how their districts collect data about discipline and whether research-based approaches are being used to address and prevent discipline problems.
