Innovative Programs to Reduce Out of School of School Suspensions

Pushing students out of school for minor disciplinary issues is a public health concern nationwide.  There is a negative trend involving the police to arrest students, for what otherwise could be handled within the school setting.  Many schools, particularly in urban and impoverished areas are contributing to the school-to-prison pipeline by suspending students, referring them to local law enforcement, and referring them to court for truancy issues.  According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), school disciplinary policies disproportionately affect African American students  such that they make up 31% of school-related arrests and being three times more likely than white students to be suspended or expelled.  Furthermore, research has shown that students who are suspended at least once are at a higher risk of dropping out of school.  

The PIRATE Program, an alternative to suspension program was created to reduce the amount of students who were receiving out of school suspension for minor verbal and physical altercations.  This program is an asset to the Deans of Students in an urban high school setting and is going on its fourth year of implementation.  Results have shown a decrease in disciplinary problems with students who successfully completed the program. In addition to this program, The REAL Program has been established to help provide additional support and resources in the dedicated in-school suspension classroom.  It is crucial to provide students who are sent to in-school suspension with learning opportunities in efforts to change their behavior and keep them in class.