San Francisco Unified is the latest district to consider eliminating “willful defiance” as a reason to suspend or expel students. Credit: iStockphoto.com
Suspensions and expulsions for “willful defiance” of school authorities may soon be forbidden at San Francisco Unified, which is considering a broad new discipline policy that focuses on restorative justice practices and other alternative measures.
The “Safe and Supportive Schools” policywould, among other things, require staff training on how to handle disruptive students and build a positive school climate. Administrators would be required to document alternative disciplinary measures they used prior to suspension, and the district would have to regularly analyze and publicize discipline data by school and provide an appeals process for students and parents.
San Francisco’s proposed policy, introduced by Commissioner Matt Haney and supported by the district’s teachers union, is unique in that it sets up special circumstances for disciplining African American students. The policy would require district approval before an administrator could send an African American student home for disciplinary reasons. The exception would be if the student commits a serious crime, such as having a weapon or selling drugs, which under state law requires immediate expulsion.
The provision is in response to district data showing that African Americans make up about 10 percent of the student body but account for more than half of suspensions and expulsions. Although the district has reduced overall suspensions by 30 percent over the past three years, this disproportionality has persisted.
The resolution, first unveiled to the school board last week, will be discussed more fully at a special