Advertisement

Editorial: Pinellas makes progress on student suspensions

 
Published Sept. 23, 2016

The Pinellas County School District is taking a holistic approach to reducing out-of-school suspensions of elementary students. Ideas such as parent shadow days and home visits with administrators show far more promise in correcting children's behavior problems than kicking kids out of class. The district, which has worked to curb out-of-school suspensions across all grades, is smart to build on that progress with a fresh focus on elementary students.

Two factors make this a pressing concern: Discipline in Pinellas schools has been harsher than other districts in Florida and unevenly applied. The Tampa Bay Times' "Failure Factories" stories revealed that while other districts reserve out-of-school suspensions for the worst offenses, like violence, Pinellas teachers routinely suspended kids for vague infractions such as "defiance" or being in an "unauthorized location." And the suspensions lasted longer. Until early this year, Pinellas students were suspended for a mandatory 10 days for the worst offenses. And those harsh measures affected African-American students the most, the Times found. Black students make up 20 percent of the school district's elementary enrollment, but they receive 60 percent of suspensions in elementary schools. The School Board and district leaders have made some corrections — the maximum length of out-of-school suspensions is now five days — but there is still work to be done.

The ideas floated at a School Board workshop this week could usher in a real philosophical shift that emphasizes correcting behavior problems rather than just punishing them. Not that students would or should get off scot-free. Proposals include making students serve detention or attend Saturday school. They could be required to complete a kid-friendly "Thinking Sheet" to reflect on their actions or help clean classrooms and offices.

Area superintendents also offered smart ideas for providing additional support such as parent conferences, individual time with counselors and visits to the students' home by school administrators. The discussion extended to teachers, too, with board member Janet Clark insisting that training be available for teachers who deal with disruptive children. Proportionate punishment, followup services and support for teachers are all valid ideas that should be pursued. Another idea is a no-brainer: a requirement that area superintendents be notified before a child in kindergarten through second grade is give an out-of-school suspension.

Discipline problems tend to take root in low-performing schools. Melrose Elementary in St. Petersburg has a 38 percent out-of-school suspension rate, the highest in the district. It's an F school. Campbell Park, with a 31 percent suspension rate, is also an F school. The "Failure Factories" series detailed how those and other mostly poor, mostly minority elementary schools where black children were suspended at disproportionate rates also posted some of the worst state test scores. State law specifically targets struggling elementary schools for improvement, requiring 60 extra minutes every day devoted to reading. But the students can't read if they're not in class. Behavior problems certainly get in the way of learning, but discipline measures that exacerbate learning losses will only cause struggling students to fall farther behind.

Out-of-school suspensions have no academic benefit. The Pinellas School District has made some progress by allowing these suspensions to be served at other district sites. Ultimately, they should be working to eliminate them, as many other districts have done. Until then, replacing them with approaches that support students rather than banishing them only makes sense.