Justin Murphy

Despite a stated interest in moving away from harsh disciplinary practices, local schools continue to suspend students at high and unequal rates, according to a report released Thursday by The Children’s Agenda.

The report is titled Solutions Not Suspensions, which is also the name of a bill in the state Legislature addressed to the same concerns.

Among its key findings:

• Rochester, Greece, East Irondequoit and Wheatland-Chili all suspended more than 10% of their students at least once in 2021-22, as did Buffalo and Syracuse.
• Among those suspended students were hundreds of students ages 3-8.
• Brighton, Churchville-Chili, Pittsford and West Irondequoit all suspended Black students about five times as often as they did white students, and students with disabilities were disciplined much more as well.
• A poll of parents in Monroe County showed overwhelming support for a near-total ban on suspensions for young children as well as a more general move away from excluding students from school.

“Suspension and expulsion are harmful and ineffective as a disciplinary practice,” said Eamonn Scanlon, education policy director at The Children’s Agenda and lead author of the report. “We also know suspensions deepen the inequities that already exist in our society.”

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