AISD Trustees: End Suspensions for PK-2nd Grade Students

Thank you Texas Appleseed, always leading the charge to support and protect our endangered children.

I know you can come up with a plan to keep classrooms safe and while providing access to quality education.

End practices that teach children they are disposable. They are not. Research shows there are numerous alternatives to suspending children.

Please end this practice. I know you can design a system that takes care of all our little Austinites.

Suspensions are ineffective and disproportionately target students of color. They are not appropriate for use with pre-k and early elementary students

I have two children in AISD and I'm appalled that young students are suspended. It is ineffective as a method of improving behavior and it's a burden on the families.

I encourage the district to align its values and commitment to social and emotional learning by discarding the discriminatory policy of allowing suspensions in early grades. Thanks you.

Suspension at this age seems heavy handed. Especially when you see the data disproportionate to black and special needs.

Children need support and services, not suspension.

Just stop it!!

Please end suspension for Pre-K - 2nd Grade

As a mother of two young men of Color, I have witnessed first hand how destructive it can be when a child is disciplined at a very young age when many times these children are not acting aggressively but have been assigned to teachers with little to no patience for them. It can quickly escalate into a terrible situation where a child is labeled as a disciplinary issue for simply not being able to sit still in a chair for long periods of time. It behooves our district to stop this school to prison pipeline and look for more dignified ways to help these students.

When autistic students do not receive appropriate services by credentialed and trained staff (which is currently the case) they are disproportionately punished for behavior that is a result of their unsupported disability. This is against the law. Students with disabilities have civil rights protections through the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act.

As an Education Advocate for children with disabilities, I see this early public school pipeline to prison in action every day. At 10, children can be charged with second degree felony charges (when schools call police) for disability-related behavior that has not been appropriately addressed by district as federal law IDEA requires. Children of color, poor children and children who speak a language other than English are especially at risk.

As a graduate student in social work, I am shocked by this unproductive, damaging, and outdated method of punish children. And I am offended by its clearly racist application. End the suspension of children now!

The school boards in Houston and El Paso have already ended suspensions for PK-2nd grade students and Dallas ISD is discussing the issue as well. Austin ISD should join these districts and lead the movement in Texas to put the interests of young children first. Please do the right thing by crafting policy that eliminates classroom removals for young children, supports teacher training, and encourages a more fair school climate where all children can learn.

Suspensions, detention , and isolation creat permanent damage for student.

This is a racist practice that forwards the school to prison pipeline. I as a citizen of Austin feel this must stop immediately. There has to be better recourses to student misconduct than removing them from the vital education they need. Thank you.

Keep kids in schools!

suspending a child in pre-k -2nd grade, is ridiculous, lets just say suspending in elementary is foul, they are still babies at heart. What ever happened to sending them to another class room for the day more patience is needed. What ever happened to the old school teachers that had no fears of little kids and they had patience and knew how to deal with babies!