Washington Post: Grosso’s bill to ban pre-K suspensions applauded; advocates urge further steps

Children’s Law Center Executive Director Judith Sandalow was quoted in The Washington Post discussing a recent bill introduced by Council Member David Grosso. The bill would ban suspensions for three- and four-year olds in public school, and Children’s Law Center testified in support of the bill as a good first step in dismantling DC’s school-to-prison-pipeline.

However, Children’s Law Center and other advocates agree that more steps need to be taken to end suspensions for all DC students, including older children.

Middle schools had the highest suspension rates in the District, according to the report. African American students were almost six times as likely to be suspended or expelled as white students. Rates were also higher for children in foster care, are homeless or have disabilities.

“These are some of our most vulnerable children,” said Judith Sandalow, executive director of the Children’s Law Center. “We are telling them we don’t want them to learn by putting them out of school.”

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