When One Day Out Of School Means Years of Consequences

Just one day out of school makes a huge impact in a child’s education, and we don’t have time to waste. Unfortunately, some DC high schools are reporting only a fraction of suspensions. In her recent Huffington Post article, Children’s Law Center Executive Director Judith Sandalow urged DC Public Schools Chancellor Antwan Wilson to send the message that he will not tolerate this violation of the law. She made her case, saying:

Suspensions – documented or not – affect the children we work with the most: students of color, students with disabilities and students in foster care. Although DC Public Schools (DCPS) currently reports an overall reduction in suspensions, our day-to-day reality doesn’t match this data: we regularly meet children who are sent home without their suspension being recorded and students being suspended instead of receiving the supports they need.

Students who aren’t in school miss invaluable learning time and are not receiving the due process and supportive interventions they need from their school. These students are more likely to fall behind and get poor grades, often leaving them frustrated or embarrassed. In turn, these negative feelings can often lead to more misbehavior and cause students to drop out. Children’s Law Center is a founding member of the Every Student, Every Day Coalition. We are working hand-in-hand with other advocacy organizations in the District to ensure this practice does not continue and no more children are kept out of school unnecessarily.

Now is the time to prioritize this issue and create a culture change within the District that finally puts an end to this decades-long practice that is hurting our children.

Read the full article here: