Every child needs a supportive and affirmative educational environment where they can thrive. I am writing as both a parent and a retired public school librarian about my concern around the use of policing and suspensions as methods for disciplining our students. Years ago, one of my sons received a 30-day out-of-school suspension from KHS. We were fortunate. He had a safe place to be during the day. Yet the impact on him and our family was not insignificant. Most families do not have the resources to provide a safe alternative for their children once they are suspended from school. This is how kids end up on the street, or worse, during the school day–and the learning loss is significant.

While in-school suspensions don’t have quite the same impact, the punitive approach does not support growth and change. During the 18 years I worked in the Kingston Schools, many of the children were “repeats” for in-school suspension. While as a library teacher I did everything I could to avoid sending a child out of the room, once in a great while, there was no alternative. Yet I knew that sending a child out of my room was only a temporary measure to keep everyone safe. It was not a restorative process, which is what I believe every school building needs.

That’s why we need the Schools not Suspensions bill to end New York’s reliance on these carceral approaches that only make schools a traumatic experience for children. We need proven restorative justice and disciplinary strategies that enable students to stay in school. The Solutions not Suspensions Bill would provide more resources to schools to hire more teachers, psychologists and social workers.

New York must take action to ensure every student has an equal opportunity to succeed.