New York City Schools’ Suspension Rates Plummet
The decrease in suspensions follows new district disciplinary policies.
New York City schools is the largest district in the U.S., with more than 1.1. million students and nearly 2,000 schools.
New York City schools saw the number of suspensions in the district drop significantly in 2015 according to recently released data.
The Department of Education reported a 32 percent decrease in suspensions in 2015 compared to 2014 figures for the nation’s largest school district, according to capitalnewyork.com.
The dramatic change follows Mayor Bill de Blasio’s reform of district disciplinary procedures, which were announced Feb. 13, 2015. The reforms aimed to decrease punitive measures like suspensions while increasing restorative justice practices through diverted funding.
The data, released as part of a new City Council law, also showed an 81 percent decrease in suspensions due to “insubordination.” Suspensions for smaller infractions have been a particular focus of criticism for de Blasio. One new policy requires principals to get approval for suspensions from the city’s Department of Education.
The drop in suspensions comes after the Department of Education budgeted $47 million for next school year to increase mental health services in certain schools, social-emotional learning training for pre-K teachers, additional social workers and other services.
Groups like the New York Civil Liberties Union and Advocates for Children praised the suspension data and asked for school-by-school statistics.
Check out the entire city schools report here.
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