A state senator wants to toss out the idea of expulsions for kids who are in third grade or younger. The lawmaker says this can go a long way to closing the achievement gap for disadvantaged students.
Sen. Peggy Lehner (R-Kettering) is proposing the ban on expulsions and out-of-school suspensions. Lehner says there’s a clear link between suspensions and drop in academic achievement among students who are minorities, disabled or from low-income families. “When suspended a child is robbed of days and often weeks of learning every year,” Lehner said.
There were 36,000 suspensions among preschoolers through third graders last school year. Of those suspended, 90% were economically disadvantaged.
Lehner’s proposal still allows a school to expel a student based on violent behavior.