Albany, N.Y. – Advocates are calling on school officials to reduce student suspensions.

Monday, a team of teens and parents joined members of The Children’s Agenda for a rally in Albany.

They met with lawmakers, pushing for the new ‘Solutions Not Suspensions’ bill. It aims to establish a framework to use restorative approaches to inappropriate behavior and discipline, rather than simply suspending students.

The group says suspensions often lead to more harm than good.

“A lot of students are kicked out of school for minor violations, and they end up failing their coursework – some drop out of school, and some end up in prison,” said Eamonn Scanlon, a member of The Children’s Agenda. “The school-to-prison pipeline [is what] we’re trying to disrupt. This is a problem that disproportionately hits students of color, students with disabilities, and students from low-income households.”

Some parents and youth from the Rochester area went out to Albany for Monday’s rally.

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