Ohio Senate approves bill limiting suspensions of young students

Ohio schools could no longer impose out-of-school suspensions for young students who commit minor offenses under a bill that unanimously passed the Senate on Wednesday.

Ohio elementary schools have handed out an average of 35,000 out-of-school suspensions over each of the past two years. Almost half were for disruptive or disobedient behavior, nearly two-thirds were black children, and 90 percent were from low-income households.

“In recent years, the number of young children being suspended or expelled in Ohio schools has skyrocketed,” said Sen. Peggy Lehner, R-Kettering, a lead bill sponsor. “The evidence is overwhelming — exclusionary discipline policies do nothing to improve school culture or student behavior.”

The concern is suspensions pile punishment onto youths acting out in the classroom often as a result of trauma experienced at home from neglect, physical abuse or stress from poverty.

Read more: http://www.dispatch.com/news/20180516/ohio-senate-approves-bill-limiting-suspensions-of-young-students