Stop traumatizing our Seattle families! Prohibit the use of suspension and expulsion as disciplinary actions in Seattle public elementary schools. Use a restorative justice model to address conflict in schools and respond to the needs and issues of students, parents, teachers and school personnel.
Why is this important?
African-American students in our public schools get disciplined three times more than white students, even though white students outnumber them two to one. These disciplinary actions easily escalate into unnecessary suspensions, the best predictor of dropping out of school. Students who drop out are 3.5 times more likely of getting arrested. This systematic pushing out of students from schools onto the streets disproportionately affects poor students, students of color and LGBT youth. The Seattle School Board can decide to prohibit suspensions and expulsion as a disciplinary action in schools, and use a restorative justice model to deal with conflict. When the Denver public school system began using this practice, they saw a 80% drop in school conflicts.
