Buffalo’s new suspension policy marks a major win for Black, brown, immigrant, disabled, and lower-income students, making it much harder to suspend children in pre-K through the third grade and requiring supportive interventions before suspension can even be considered. This change will help protect young learners from being pushed out of classrooms for developmentally normal behaviors like leaving class or throwing a pencil. Advocates are celebrating the progress, while making clear there’s still more to fight for, including removing vague suspension language, capping suspensions at 20 days, and making sure kids aren’t suspended for cellphone use.
