California Education Code and Student Suspensions: Should Suspensions be Included?

While the State of California moves to formally make districts and schools accountable for the number of students they suspend from schools or classrooms, the question needs to be asked...does the current suspension system and laws we have make that inclusion valid? There are different types of suspension and not all of them involve a student going home.

For example, an alternative to sending students home already exists in the California Ed Code. But is placing a student in one of these rooms still a suspension? And are the current laws for this practice being followed? Lets look.

The section of the law is given below:

48911.1. (a) A pupil suspended from a school for any of the reasons enumerated in Sections 48900 and 48900.2 may be assigned, by the principal or the principal's designee, to a supervised suspension classroom for the entire period of suspension if the pupil poses no imminent danger or threat to the campus, pupils, or staff, or if an action to expel the pupil has not been initiated.

(b) Pupils assigned to a supervised suspension classroom shall be separated from other pupils at the school site for the period of suspension in a separate classroom, building, or site for pupils under suspension.

(c) School districts may continue to claim apportionments for each pupil assigned to and attending a supervised suspension classroom provided as follows:

(1) The supervised suspension classroom is staffed as otherwise provided by law.

(2) Each pupil has access to appropriate counseling services.

(3) The supervised suspension classroom promotes completion of schoolwork and tests missed by the pupil during the suspension.

(4) Each pupil is responsible for contacting his or her teacher or teachers to receive assignments to be completed while the pupil is assigned to the supervised suspension classroom. The teacher shall provide all assignments and tests that the pupil will miss while suspended. If no classroom work is assigned, the person supervising the suspension classroom shall assign schoolwork.

(d) At the time a pupil is assigned to a supervised suspension classroom, a school employee shall notify, in person or by telephone, the pupil's parent or guardian. Whenever a pupil is assigned to a supervised suspension classroom for longer than one class period, a school employee shall notify, in writing, the pupil's parent or guardian.

(e) This section does not place any limitation on a school district's ability to transfer a pupil to an opportunity school or class or a continuation education school or class.

(f) Apportionments claimed by a school district for pupils assigned to supervised suspension shall be used specifically to mitigate the cost of implementing this section.

So in other words, a school sending a student to a "supervised suspension classroom for the entire period of suspension" is still suspending that student. And since it is such and requires parent notification, the student's records should show the student was suspended and the reason for the suspension also logged like this:

48900(a)(1) Caused, Attempted, or Threatened Physical Injury

If you are a teacher or administrator, does your school use this type of method? And if so, do they follow the above guidelines? I would love to hear from you. I can only say for myself I believe it is questionable at best.

So should we include suspension rates as part of a school's state "report card?" I say not until we have can be sure schools and districts can't manipulate the data. Are they doing i now? We will see. More to come.

What do you think?

(Interestingly enough, the new state measurements do NOT YET include attendance rates or academic performance data. Those will be adopted in coming months.) Guess they wanted the important stuff resolved first.

Any thoughts, disagreements, or corrections are welcome.