Alternatives to Suspension:
Three types of approaches can be described as alternatives to suspension: 1. Approaches that change the response of schools to student misbehavior; i.e. a shift from using suspension as a response to using an in-school practice that aims to address the root cause of the misbehavior and help students avoid future misconduct (restorative practices, counseling or treatment, mentoring, community service, etc.) 2. Approaches that focus on supporting individual school staff members to develop skills in behavior management, de-escalation or recognizing personal biases; and 3. School-wide approaches that aim to improve school climate or establish structures for teaching and reinforcing positive behavioral expectations.
See also: student discipline, restorative practices
| Title | Document Type | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
DRC Resources |
||||||
|
Chicago Public Schools Student Code of Conduct Chicago's Student Code of Conduct was revised to place a greater emphasis on restorative practices, reduce the length of suspensions, eliminate suspension as an option for low-level behaviors and PreK-2nd grade students, and adjust terms to reduce racial bias and subjectivity. SOURCE: Chicago Public Schools |
||||||
|
||||||
|
In Oakland, Reinventing School Policing Article and video about Oakland schools' partnership with police and special SEL training for school-based officers. SOURCE: Oakland Unified School District |
||||||
|
Restorative Practices: Day-Long Training to Deepen School Practice Sacramento City's interactive introduction to classroom-based restorative practices for a teacher audience, covering concepts of the social discipline window, fair process, affective language, restorative questions, and circles. SOURCE: Sacramento City Unified School District |
||||||
|
Restorative Practices: Fostering Healthy Relationships & Promoting Positive Discipline in Schools Definitions and demonstrations of the impact of restorative practices with guidance for implementing at the classroom and school level, sponsored by the NEA and AFT. SOURCE: University/Nonprofit Research Institution |
||||||
|
SPARK Approach to Positive School Climate Guide and toolkit for Sacramento's comprehensive school climate model which intertwines principles of restorative disciplinary practices, social and emotional learning, and PBIS. Includes details on school teaming and training. SOURCE: Sacramento City Unified School District |
||||||
|
Addressing the Root Causes of Disparities in School Discipline: An educator’s action planning guide A guide for digging into discipline data, analyzing root causes, and action planning, with checklists, decision trees, Excel worksheets, and planning templates. SOURCE: National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments |
||||||
|
Chicago Public Schools Student Code of Conduct Revisions, 2014 Presentation for the Chicago BOE summarizing the context, stakeholder engagement, and professional development plan surrounding the changes to the Student Code of Conduct. SOURCE: Chicago Public Schools |
||||||
|
Addendum to the Student Code of Conduct: Guidelines for Effective Discipline Chicago's resource to support schools in implementing the Student Code of Conduct, complete with flow charts, scenarios, and recommended interventions founded on SEL and restorative approaches. SOURCE: Chicago Public Schools |
||||||
|
Guiding Principles – A Resource Guide for Improving School Climate and Discipline These guiding principles from the U.S. Department of Education are organized around concepts of creating positive school climate, providing evidence-based supports, promoting social and emotional learning, providing training on positive engagement with students and equitable practices, and adopting an instructional approach to school discipline. SOURCE: United States DOE |
||||||
|
Suspending Chicago’s Students – Differences in Discipline Practices across Schools This report from the University of Chicago provides an example of how to analyze district discipline data to pinpoint factors that lead to inequity. SOURCE: University/Nonprofit Research Institution |
||||||