Debate: Should teachers and support staff be able to suspend students?

NEA Today, Apr 1999 by Mann, Celina, Varner, Paula

Americans can show that they truly respect teachers-by sting us to take whatever steps are necessary to effectively discipline our students.

That's not an easy task today-not when so many students come to school without adequate rest or nourishment. Not when so many students are familiar with violence, carry the frustration and anger of abandonment, and are burdened with drug and alcohol problems.

These students don't have the coping skills necessary to deal with their problems. They lack the discipline they need at home.

Yet we find ways to teach most of them grammar and math, values and respect. Most, but unfortunately, not all. We don't have the resources or the time to reach all the troubled students in our classes.

So we seek help from administrators. Some of them deal with the problems. Some are supportive. Some send kids to the few available continuation schools for students with behavior problems.

But other administrators allow students with chronic behavior problems to continue disrupting classes without consequences.

Some transfer students from school to school without addressing the cause of their problems. Most don't want a high "number of suspensions per site" on their records.

Where administrators fail in providing a quality learning environment for all students, teachers must be allowed to step in.

In San Diego, we have that right. Article 11 in the contract negotiated by the San Diego Education Association states:

"A teacher may suspend any pupil for his/her class or class period. . . for the day of suspension and the day following. The suspension is to be a last resort after the failure of other forms of discipline."

The contract goes on to stipulate that teachers must notify parents and administrators, teachers can repeat the suspension if the behavior continues, and students will not be returned to a teachers' classroom "without the concurrence of the teacher and principal."

Our contract covers only certificated personnel, but I believe classroom support staff-often entrusted with rule enforcement and behavior management-should also have the right to suspend students.

When all staff have the power to enforce a natural sequence of consequences, students will be more likely to behave appropriately in all settings.

Given our contractual rights, you may think that suspensions are widely used, even abused, here. But that's not the case.

No one wants to suspend students. Still, after all other disciplinary methods have failed, suspension can be a valuable and effective way to deal with habitual behavior problems and extreme circumstances.

Suspensions can help diffuse tensions by giving students and teachers a time out. They allow all involved to start a new day under a new light. And they help restore an orderly and productive learning environment.

All students have the right to be taught. When we have the right to suspend, we can protect the rights of the students who want to learn. And we can do what we want to do-teach.

The decision to suspend a student requires thoughtful consideration, research, investigation, and consultation with others. Making that decision is an awesome responsibility that teachers and support staff shouldn't take on.

Here's why:

No one, including a principal, should be able to suspend a student on a moment's notice. Suspension is serious business. It has long-term consequences for all those involved.

Teachers and support employees don't have enough time to do everything required to make sure suspension is the right decision.

The events leading up to a suspension are rarely black and white. They require time to sort out, time to get to the truth, and time to find the punishment that both suits the crime and benefits the student. Administrators have the time; teachers don't.

Classroom educators often don't see all sides of the suspension issue. I know I didn't until I did the coursework and internship required to earn an administrative/principal's certificate.

When substituting for a principal years ago, I suspended a student for a weapons violation in a "no tolerance" district. But I did so after making use of every resource available to meteachers, parents, district administrative personnel, and the cooperating principal for the building.

Finally, the father and I worked together thoughtfully to fashion a creative and cooperative punishment that we believed would affect the child in a positive way.

As the acting principal, I was able to rearrange a portion of my day to spend the hours necessary to deal with this situation. As a classroom educator, I would have had to take time away from other students to handle things well.

Teachers and support employees don't have the legal training they need to handle suspensions. A suspension is, by definition, a denial of the right to a free and appropriate public education. Denial of a basic right requires following due process and specific, detailed procedures.

The laws governing suspension -in Washington state, at least-are complex, especially in the special education arena. A mistake or omission can lead to significant personal liability and civil rights complaints. Who needs that aggravation?