A state senator wants to toss out the idea of expulsions for kids who are in third grade or younger. The lawmaker says this can go a long way to closing the achievement gap for disadvantaged students.
Republican Sen. Peggy Lehner is proposing the ban on expulsions and out-of-school suspensions.
Lehner says there’s a clear link between suspensions and drop in academic achievement among students who are minorities, disabled or from low-income families.
“When suspended a child is robbed of days and often weeks of learning every year,” Lehner said.
There were 36,000 suspensions among preschoolers through third graders last school year. Of those suspended, 90 percent were economically disadvantaged.
Lehner’s proposal still allows a school to expel a student based on violent behavior.
