Increase counseling to drop suspensions, parents and advocates urge Education Department
Wednesday, June 22nd 2011, 4:00 AM
Critics of the city Education Department called on the agency yesterday to reduce the number of student suspensions by trying counseling before barring kids from the classroom.
A crowd of advocates, parents and students overflowed from the agency's headquarters, waiting to testify at a school discipline hearing to blast the increase in suspensions, which surged from 29,000 in 2001-02 to 73,000 in 2008-09.
The numbers also showed a racial disparity in suspensions, with black students accounting for just a third of city students but making up more than half of all suspensions, the Daily News reported in January.
"We know that it's possible to create safe learning environments while keeping students
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