LIU TO DOE: STOP CRIMINALIZING OUR KIDS

NEW YORK, N.Y. – City Comptroller John C. Liu today warned that the
Department of Education’s (DOE’s) short-sighted and damaging policy of
suspending hundreds of middle-school students each week is promoting
alienation and a higher dropout rate, not better behavior.
The Comptroller released a report today, “The Suspension Spike:
Changing the Discipline Culture in NYC’s Middle Schools,” which offers
a blueprint for replacing the DOE’s failed zero-tolerance policy with
restorative justice practices that help middle-school students stay in
school and remain on the path to college and career readiness.
“This report demonstrates the sad reality that the stop-and-frisk
atmosphere, which presumes that men of color are guilty until proven
innocent, begins as early as age 11. Children ages 11 to 14 are still
learning how to manage their own feelings and behavior. The DOE’s
policy of removing them from their classrooms for even small
infractions teaches them nothing and may in fact worsen their
conduct,” Comptroller Liu said. “Researchers have found that such
suspensions often lead to higher dropout rates and other bad outcomes.
We need to stand by our kids and give them the guidance they need, not
make them feel like criminals.” Press Release.
The report found that New York City middle schools suspended an
average of 100 students a school day in the 2011-2012 school year.
Almost all of those suspended were either black or Hispanic. It also
found that middle-school students received 68 percent more suspensions
than high-school students.
The report warns that misuse of School Safety Agents, who currently
report to the New York City Police Department, has resulted in student
arrests for minor infractions such as writing on a desk. This
over-criminalization of school-based offenses risks putting students
on the path to future incarceration, also known as the
school-to-prison pipeline.
The report urges that middle schools adopt a restorative justice
approach to discipline that combines added support with high
expectations and accountability. These approaches not only give
students ways to understand and make amends for negative behavior but
also seek to reduce the severity and frequency of future incidents,
create a more positive school climate, improve educational outcomes,
and help keep students on the path to high school graduation and
beyond.
The report recommends:
·         Training educators in restorative justice – DOE should pilot
an approach known as “whole-school climate change” at the 30 schools
with the greatest number of suspensions.
·         Hiring more middle-school counselors and social workers to
reduce the student-to-counselor ratio to 250:1 and the
student-to-social worker ratio to 400:1, as well as provide targeted
interventions for students with behavior issues.
·         Eliminating suspensions for minor infractions and those that
last for more than 10 days.
·         Empowering principals to oversee school discipline –
including the School Safety Agents now under the authority of the NYPD
– in order to emphasize education over incarceration.
“The Suspension Spike: Changing the Discipline culture in NYC’s Middle
Schools” is the sixth comprehensive study in Comptroller Liu’s “Beyond
High School NYC” initiative, which seeks to increase the proportion of
New Yorkers with higher education to 60 percent by the year 2025
through strategic investments in public education.
The full report can be downloaded at:
http://comptroller.nyc.gov/bureaus/opm/reports/2013/NYC_MiddleSchools_Report.pdf
The executive summary can be downloaded at:
http://comptroller.nyc.gov/bureaus/opm/reports/2013/NYC_MiddleSchools_Summary.pdf
“The DOE has just scratched the surface of making improvements to its
broken school-discipline system. This report examines the
often-forgotten middle-school years, showing how ‘zero tolerance’
during vulnerable times in student development can damage students’
progress and their chance for success. Our students can’t afford to
keep waiting for meaningful change,” said Johanna Miller, Interim
Advocacy Director, New York Civil Liberties Union.
“The Comptroller’s report provides sensible, forward-thinking
recommendations that could actually reduce problem behavior in the
critically important middle-school years.  Serious consideration
should be given to these proposals,” said Kim Sweet, Executive
Director, Advocates for Children of New York.
“The recommendations in this report to expand restorative practices,
increase the number of counselors and social workers, and end
suspensions for minor misbehavior are critical. The DOE needs to take
action now to revise the City’s Discipline Code to require the use of
positive interventions before suspension and eliminate suspension for
behaviors like defying authority. These changes are essential to
protect students’ human rights to education and dignity,” said Liz
Sullivan-Yuknis, Education Program Director, NESRI and Dignity in
Schools Campaign-NY.
“The International Institute for Restorative Practices (IIRP)
wholeheartedly supports the recommendations of the New York City
Comptroller’s office contained in this report. The data demonstrates
that restorative practices and other allied approaches to school
climate offer a powerful new vision for pro-social development and
discipline in schools. The Comptroller’s office is showing tremendous
vision in their commitment to youth. Our children deserve safe school
communities where they can learn, thrive, and realize their potential
to become productive citizens,” said John Bailie, Assistant Professor
and Director of Continuing Education, International Institute for
Restorative Practices (IIRP).
Background:
For more on the “Beyond High School NYC” initiative go to:
http://www.comptroller.nyc.gov/bureaus/opm/beyond-high-school.shtm
Previous reports from the Comptroller’s education initiative:
“Beyond High School: Higher Education as a Growth and Fiscal Strategy
for New York City”:
http://www.comptroller.nyc.gov/bureaus/opm/reports/2012/Higher-Education-Report-FINAL.pdf
“The Power of Guidance: Giving High School Students the College
Counseling They Need”:
http://www.comptroller.nyc.gov/bureaus/opm/reports/2012/Power_of_Guidance_Oct_PDF.pdf
“No More Rubber Stamp: Reforming New York City’s Panel for Educational
Policy”: http://www.comptroller.nyc.gov/bureaus/opm/reports/2013/NYC_NoMoreRubberStamp_v24_Jan2013.pdf
“Bridging the Digital Literacy Divide”:
http://www.comptroller.nyc.gov/bureaus/opm/reports/2013/Bridging-the-Digital-Literacy-Divide.pdf
“The $4 Billion Deficit: Ratcheting Up Investment in Early Childhood
Education”: http://comptroller.nyc.gov/bureaus/opm/reports/2013/NYC-Early-Childhood-Education-Report.pdf