October 26, 2024

Top 10 Alternatives to Suspension in Schools

Suspension is a major problem in the US education system, where more than 5% of students face in-school or out-of-school suspension each academic year. Meanwhile, an increasing volume of research shows that traditional suspension methods are ineffective as they fail to correct the behavioral issues that led to the suspension in the first place in addition to resulting in a series of psychological, social, and academic problems. Thus, districts, schools, and parents are increasingly looking for other ways to work with students facing suspension that have more favorable outcomes.

The 10 best evidence-based alternatives to suspension in schools are:

Virtual Suspension Room
Restorative Justice
Restitution
Social Emotional Learning
Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports
Mini Courses
Counseling
Trauma-Informed Practices
Community Service
Alternative Programming

What School Suspension Is

In the education field, suspension refers to a form of punishment that temporarily prohibits a student from attending regular classes or being at school. This means that a student is removed from the traditional school setting for a specific period of time because of breaking one or more school rules.

Some of the most common kinds of behavior that can lead to suspension include:

Showing violence
Bullying other students
Hurting or threatening to hurt someone
Deliberately acting disorderly or disobediently
Talking back at teachers or administrators
Carrying a gun or a weapon
Possessing, selling, or giving away drugs and other prohibited substances

A student can be suspended from school by a school principal, a school or district superintendent, a trustee, a board of trustees, or a school’s board of education.

The main point behind suspending a child is to allow the rest of the students to continue the education process in an orderly manner. Meanwhile, it is also used as a disciplinary punishment aiming at correcting the behavior of the child. However, there is more and more evidence on the negative impact of school suspension surpassing its corrective power.

There are two types of suspension in terms of location:

In-school suspension (ISS): During in-school suspension, the student is not allowed to attend regular classes but they still attend school in a specifically designated, supervised space where they can complete the ongoing schoolwork. Meanwhile, the student remains isolated from the student body.
Out-of-school suspension: During out-of-school suspension, a child is not allowed to be on the school campus and to participate in any school activities. Many teachers require suspended students to continue doing schoolwork and keep up with the school load.

While typical suspension lasts a few days, it can be anything between a few hours and up to 10 days or more. In terms of length, there are the following types of suspension:

Short-term suspension: From 1 school day to 5 school days
Long-term suspension: From 6 school days to 60 school days
Expulsion: The school district’s board of education or a designee terminates the student’s rights and privileges including attending school, classes, and extracurricular activities for more than 60 days.

How Suspension in School Works

The process of suspending a student from school requires a few steps:

Incident: A student engages in a serious violation of the school’s code of conduct.
Investigation: The school principal or vice principal investigates the incident to understand exactly what happened. The process might include talking to the student, victim, and witnesses and reviewing evidence such as CCTV footage.
Determination of suspension: A school or district administrator decides that a suspension is needed and determines the type and length.
Parent involvement: The parents/guardians get informed of the need for suspension. The school might hold a meeting with them to discuss the importance of this and the possible consequences of the suspension.
Notification and right to appeal: The student and the parents/guardians need to receive an official notice that explains the reason for the suspension, the duration, and the conditions for return to school. The student is usually allowed to present their side of the story. In some districts, students or parents have the right to appeal, especially in case of long-term suspensions.
Suspension period: The student needs to go through the in-school or out-of-school suspension while trying to keep up with schoolwork.
Re-entry: The student might need to meet with the school counselor or administration before returning to class to make sure that similar incidents will not happen again in the future. The school might develop a reintegration plan that involves additional academic assistance or behavior monitoring.

Why Finding Alternatives to Suspension in School Is Important

According to data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), 5.28% of students in public elementary and secondary schools get out-of-school suspension over the course of a school year. There are major discrepancies in terms of gender and race. As many as 7.25% of boys get suspended, compared to 3.20% of girls. Moreover, black students are disproportionately affected as 13.68% of them get suspended every year. These numbers mean that school suspension is a major challenge in the education system that needs to be properly addressed.

Meanwhile, there is growing evidence that suspensions are actually counterproductive as they do more harm than good. A study by the American Institutes for Research (AIR) shows that exclusionary discipline, which includes in-school and out-of-school suspensions, is unproductive in leading to positive behavioral changes. Moreover, it’s been connected to a range of short-term and long-term negative effects in the school, in the community, and intergenerationally.

Some of the negative consequences of school suspension include:

Feeling of isolation and rejection
Loss of trust between students, on the one hand, and teachers, educators, and administrators, on the other hand
Falling behind on academic material
Worse academic outcomes
Inconvenience to parents (in case of out-of-school suspension)
Increased risk of subsequent arrest

This compilation of negative psychological, academic, and other impacts has led more and more schools to abstain from suspensions as a form of disciplining students and look for alternative solutions that have more productive and less harmful effects.

Following is a list of the top 10 alternatives to suspension that are able to produce more positive consequences and less negative impacts:

1. Virtual Suspension Room

A virtual suspension room is an alternative to the traditional form of suspension that allows students to remain on track with schoolwork and receive specially designed help to improve outcomes after the end of the suspension period. This strategy can be implemented in school or out of school, depending on the situation. Students need to be equipped with the necessary hardware and software tools to receive online instruction by teachers. A school teacher or paraprofessional needs to periodically check on the student either in person or online, depending on the mode of implementation.

Various resources highlight the positive impact of virtual classrooms for students in suspension as they provide a controlled, safe, and protected environment that’s conducive to academic success.

The main pros of virtual classrooms for suspended students include:

Continued learning
Less stigma than on traditional suspension
Access to specialized support services
Problem-free environment
Easy reintegration

Some cons of virtual suspension rooms are:

Isolation from the school community
Potential discrepancies in the curriculum

Fullmind core instruction services offer a top-ranked suspension solution to students and families facing suspension. The company provides state-certified online instructors who help students complete their schoolwork during suspension, while supplying psychological support to the students and their families. Fullmind follows the curriculum implemented by each district and school to prevent students from falling behind, facilitate reintegration, and enhance students’ academic success. Online instructions are synchronous, which provides real-time communication and interaction between students and Fullmind’s specifically trained instructors. To learn more about this option for setting up a virtual alternative to school suspension, contact the Fullmind team.

2. Restorative Justice

Restorative justice, or restorative practices, is another evidence-based alternative to suspension in school that’s highly recommended by the ACLU of Southern California. According to data from the organization, this alternative has been able to cut down the number of suspensions by 50% or more in a number of schools and districts.

This approach focuses on repairing the harm that has been caused by the behavior of the student who’s facing suspension. This is done by bringing together all involved parties, including the victim, the offender, and the school community as a whole. Together, all stakeholders figure out what needs to be done to restore justice and rebuild the community as the needs of all are met and each member gets specific responsibilities. Through restorative circles, students understand that their actions have consequences and learn how to correct the wrongs they have done while remaining a part of the community where they belong.

The most important pros of restorative practices instead of school suspension are:

Opportunity for personal growth
Problem-identifying and solving skills development
Better social and emotional capabilities
Stronger school community bonds
Reduced repetition of incidents
Academic continuation

Some cons of restorative justice to keep in mind comprise:

Need for trained, skilled facilitators
Potential undermining of the harm on the victim
Time-consuming, long-term process

3. Restitution

In-kind restitution is a natural continuation or supplement of restorative justice. The National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) stresses the power of restitution following restorative chat as another restorative practice that provides a working alternative to suspension from school. This approach works as it empowers students to correct wrongdoings with their own efforts and supplies them with the skills necessary to avoid similar situations in the future.

Successful restitution necessitates the development and implementation of a restitution plan that aims to correct the harm that has been done by the student. Such a plan typically comprises:

Oral or written apology to the victim(s) and potentially the community
Re-entry meeting
Goal setting
Repair to actual damage (for instance, cleaning up or repainting a wall that’s been vandalized with graffiti)

The most significant pros of restitution are:

Teaching responsibility and accountability
Developing understanding and empathy
Introducing new problem-solving methods
Showing that actions have consequences
Relationship restoration
No learning disruption

Some major cons of restitution include:

Creating a feeling of shame
Not applicable to grave misbehaviors and severe harms/damages
Not serving enough justice to the victim(s)
Need for dedicated school staff

4. Social Emotional Learning

Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is yet another school suspension alternative that has proven effective in recent years. The ACLU of Washington quotes research that shows that SEL implementation reduces behavioral problems, such as physical aggression and disruption, which consequently improves academic achievement, positive attitude towards school, and graduation rates.

Social Emotional Learning refers to the process of teaching students social and emotional skills in an academic setting in a way that helps them apply these new skills to the recognition and management of emotions, development of care and concern for others, responsible decision-making, and better handling of situations.

SEL instruction and programs focus on 5 key competencies that students need to develop including:

Self-awareness
Social awareness
Responsible decision-making
Self-management
Relationship skills

Major pros of Social Emotional Learning are:

Getting to the root cause of the problem leading to suspension
Long-term behavioral changes
Stronger academic outcomes
Preemptive character
Life skills building
Uniting and strengthening the school community

The most considerable cons of SEL include:

Extensively trained staff required
Dependence on the willingness and readiness of students to benefit from the process
Time-consuming and costly process
Limited effectiveness in case of severe behavioral problems

5. School-Wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports

Another alternative to suspension is Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS). According to the Regional Educational Laboratory Southwest (REL Southwest), the success of this approach is grounded in the notion of providing and encouraging an environment that is supportive of positive behaviors and developing prosocial behaviors by rewarding specific actions and attitudes. Schools that implement PBIS programs witness less office referrals, better academic achievements, improved school climate and school safety, and reduced incidents of aggression in students.

In brief, PBIS is a behavior-management framework that makes use of interventions to encourage desired - positive - behavior and discourage misbehavior, or negative behavior. This is done through a tiered schoolwide program that works on the culture, climate, and belonging. The goal is to minimize the need for disciplinary actions that lead to suspensions.

PBIS programs offer three tiers of support to students including:

Schoolwide support for all students to learn behavior expectations
Targeted support for students who cannot succeed with schoolwide support only
Intensive support for students with ongoing behavioral concerns that need individualized support and services

Some major pros of Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports comprise:

Preventive approach to problematic behavior
Positive reinforcement
Focus on promoting positive behavior rather than punishing negative attitude
Support for all students who are part of the community
Improved academic outcomes
More peaceful and creative school environment

Important cons of PBIS programs to consider include:

Time- and resource-intense practice
Need for participation from all students, teachers, and administrators
Need for specifically prepared facilitators
Reduced effectiveness in major behavioral problems

6. Mini Courses

Mini courses, or skill modules, is a reactive alternative to school suspension the importance and potential of which is highlighted by the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. This approach is more effective than traditional exclusionary policies with reduced likelihood of students dropping out of school or suffering from other negative consequences.

This strategy entails designing and implementing short courses or self-study modules that focus on the specific topics required by each student in line with their behavioral challenges. These courses raise awareness and knowledge that facilitate changes in attitudes and behaviors. Possible topics may cover anger management, conflict resolution, alcohol or drug use and abuse, social skills, and communication skills. Modules include readings, videos, workbooks, worksheets, presentations, reports, and tests.

The main pros of mini courses are:

Development of important personal skills
Self-reflection opportunity
Extension of the standard academic schedule
Flexible curriculum and implementation
No need to involve the entire school community

Some important cons of skill modules comprise:

Perception as a form of disciplinary action
Need for long-term commitment for optimal results
Lack of immediate resolution
Varying effectiveness

7. Counseling

Another top example of an alternative to school suspension and expulsion is counseling. As quoted by the Bureau of Special Education of the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Reece Peterson suggested this alternative approach as a high-potential strategy when implemented along with other alternatives. Similar to other alternatives, counseling needs to be based on the culture of the school and be implemented with support from students, parents, teachers, and other staff.

Under this strategy, students facing suspension are provided with counseling sessions with appropriate professionals that might include school psychologists, counselors, social workers, or others. Together with students, these professionals work to identify areas to focus on, conduct problem-solving activities, and work through identified problems. There is a wide range of personal issues that can be addressed and resolved in this way to prevent them from interfering with interpersonal connections and the learning process.

Some major pros of counseling are:

Potential to address the root cause of the problematic behavior
Focus on long-term behavioral changes of benefit to the student
Promotion of lifelong skills
Overall mental health support
No need for absence from school and isolation

The most considerable cons of counseling include:

Effectiveness dependent on student engagement and commitment
Need for specialized, trained personnel
Long-term commitment required for true positive change
High cost to the school/district

8. Trauma-Informed Practices

Trauma-informed alternatives to suspension are also growing in popularity and implementation across US schools and districts for the better results that they are able to drive. According to data from the Kentucky Department of Education, trauma-sensitive programs have been able to reduce office discipline referrals by 87%, incidents involving physical aggression by 86%, and suspension rates by 95% over the course of five years.

Trauma-sensitive schools recognize the impact of trauma on student behavior and focus on the healing of students and their families to create safe, healthy, and inclusive school environments. Establishing a sense of belonging is crucial for the success of this approach. Trauma-informed discipline responses are based on 6 key elements:

Safety
Trustworthiness and transparency
Peer support
Collaboration and mutuality
Empowerment, voice, and choice
Cultural, historical, and gender issues

Trauma-informed alternatives can act as an umbrella concept that encompasses a combination of previously discussed options, such as restorative practices, restitution, SEL, counseling, and others.

The most significant pros of trauma-informed practices include:

Positive school climate creation
Proactive approach to prevent incidents
Ability to incorporate across the entire learning process
Sense of community and belonging
Creating a safe and productive environment for everyone
Adaptivity to the specific needs of the school and students

Some cons of trauma-sensitive schools to take into account are:

Comprehensive staff training required
Need to change the entire school philosophy and environment
Initial resistance from stakeholders
Resource-intensive strategy

9. Community Service

Community service offers another alternative to traditional in-school suspension or out-of-school suspension. The Southern Coalition for Social Justice stresses the potential of this approach that has already been implemented throughout schools in North Carolina and has resulted in dramatic positive changes.

Under this module, students perform various tasks of benefit to the school community or the wider local community instead of suspension or during suspension hours. Assigned tasks can be widely diverse including but not limited to helping co-students, cleaning the school, or volunteering with community-based organizations. Sometimes suspension duration might be shortened as a reward for completing community service. Moreover, students have the potential to develop lifelong skills, connect with the community, and learn from interacting with others.

The main pros of community service comprise:

Positive behavior reinforcement
Building relations with the school and wider community
Life and social skills development

The most significant cons of community service as an alternative to school suspension include:

No direct address of the root causes of the problem
Insufficient justice from the point of view of the victim
Inappropriate approach for severe damage and harm

10. Alternative Programming

Another possibility for students facing suspension from school is what is referred to as alternative programming. The Missouri School-Wide Positive Behavior Support recommends this approach in situations of rather serious incidents, such as verbal harassment involving a protected class or behavior that may cause physical harm to another student.

Alternative programming entails short-term or long-term adjustments to the student’s schedule, classes, or course content that is specifically tailored to the student’s individual needs in a way that avoids situations or environments that might induce similar behavior. This may include independent study, especially in case of high-school students. In this way, students can continue to complete their schoolwork and progress towards graduation.

The most important pros of alternative programming are:

Adaptivity to specific student needs
Continuation of the learning process
No academic disruption
Proper fit for students with major behavioral issues

Some major cons of alternative programming include:

Social isolation from the student body
Not a good option for younger students
No restorative justice
No correction of the problematic behavior

Bottom Line

These are 10 of the top alternatives to suspension in schools that are recommended by experts for achieving more positive results and preventing long-term negative consequences. The best approach varies and needs to be selected based on the particular situation, the student needs, and the specific behavior that led to the need for suspension. In most cases, a combination of a few of these practices proves to be most effective.

If you need help in setting up a positive and conducive virtual room for students in suspension, check out Fullmind.