Why we should ban out-of-school suspensions for grades K-5

By Anthony Wilson, II, executive director, Equity in Education

“For some kids, school is the only thing that they have.” Kellye Britton, a friend and former Equity in Education Fellow, made this point recently, and I had to really let that sink in. 

If school is the only thing some kids have, then what happens to that 11% of students in Atlanta Public Schools who are given out-of-school suspension as a disciplinary consequence? Where do those students go when they’re removed from the very place they consider to be a safe haven? 

My organization, Equity in Education, was deeply disturbed to find that in Atlanta Public Schools, 63% of disciplinary incidents were referred to out-of-school suspension (OSS) compared to just 17% resulting in in-school-suspension (GaDOE 2023). The safety of other students, educators and administrators is paramount but surely there’s a better way we can manage disciplinary infractions than sending children away from the environment where they should be. 

If we break the data down further by subgroup it becomes even more alarming: 95% of students who receive OSS are Black students–56% of them being Black boys and 39% Black girls. Black students in APS are suspended at an OSS rate of 93.2%, compared to white students at 1.9%. (GaDOE 2023).  

In March, the Atlanta Board of Education Audit Committee met and found inconsistencies in student discipline practices district-wide. This included discrepancies in disciplinary training and the presence of subjective opinions in executing discipline policies. Conducting the audit is a great first step but we need action now. 

That is why we launched a petition to encourage the Board to consider our immediate policy recommendations.

Currently, the Board has a ban on out-of-school suspensions for grades K-3. We’re demanding the ban include grades 4 and 5. Out-of-school suspensions for elementary-aged children can have long-lasting negative effects on their academic performance, social development, and overall well-being. Research has shown that suspending young students does not improve their behavior but instead increases their likelihood of falling behind academically and dropping out later on.

Additional recommendations include developing a comprehensive discipline matrix, training for staff and teachers on restorative justice practices, and ensuring students are not denied recess or after-school programming as a disciplinary consequence. 

We can talk about data all day but the reality is we’re talking about the stories of real kids. This fact can’t get lost in the numbers. I do this work because of my own story. In 10th-grade, I was expelled from school. Towards the last day of school, the principal pulled me into her office and gave me a letter to give to my parents. The letter explained that because I hadn’t attended school consistently I was being expelled. I remember asking the principal if there was anything I could do to be able to stay and she replied, “No, not at this point, it’s too late.”  

At the point of expulsion, I admittedly was only attending school one to two days out of the week but it wasn’t because I didn’t want to be there. My family had just moved 30 minutes away from the school and I was made responsible for finding a way to get there. And, all I could manage was a ride here and there but my principal never cared enough to ask. 

How many children in Atlanta Public Schools are trying to manage circumstances above their grade level? The majority of our children don’t need out-of-school suspensions, they need support and interventions. I just needed help getting to school but an expulsion was handed to me instead. 

That same friend and Equity in Education Fellow I mentioned earlier, Kellye Britton, said something else: “Rejecting children from environments where they’re supposed to be welcomed, [given space to] bloom and grow and discover themselves is the most detrimental thing you can do for a child.” We can’t keep rejecting our children, especially our youngest learners. Atlanta Public Schools should be a place where all children feel safe and supported in their learning journey. 

To learn more about this and other issues Equity in Education is advocating for, visit Equity in Education.

Note: This piece was originally published in The Saporta Report.