The Ohio Senate recently approved a bill preventing schools from imposing out-of-school suspensions to young students who have committed minor infractions.
Ohio elementary schools have issued 35 thousand suspensions in each of the last two years. Nearly half were for disruptive or disobedient behavior. Nearly two-thirds of the students were black and 90 percent came from low-income households. Lawmakers are concerned the suspensions serve to punish children who might be acting out in class because of trauma at home caused by neglect, physical abuse or stress caused by poverty. The bill limits suspensions and expulsions for students in pre-kindergarten through third grade for behavior that threatens the safety of students and staff.
