Too many students in New York are losing classroom time to suspensions that do little to address behavior and instead push young people further to the margins. These policies hit hardest on Black and Latinx students, immigrant youth, LGBTQIA+ students, and students with disabilities – feeding the school-to-prison pipeline and deepening inequities.
The Judith S. Kaye Solutions Not Suspensions Act (S.134/A.118) would change that. It would limit suspensions, require restorative approaches that keep kids learning, and make sure students continue to receive instruction when disciplinary action is taken. This past week we saw officials in Buffalo limit suspensions for its youngest learners – proof that change is possible when working-class communities push for it. Now our elected officials need to hear loud and clear that we expect the same progress statewide.