By Micha Green, AFRO Washington, D.C. Editor, mgreen@afro.com
When last year’s Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) released data revealing Black students are eight times more likely to be suspended than their White counterparts, Council member David Grosso (I-At Large), Chairman of the Education Committee, immediately began working to reverse those statistics. Grosso’s advocacy for limiting out-of-school suspensions resulted in him authoring the “Student Fair Access to School Act of 2018”, which the Council passed unanimously on May 1.
The goal of the Student Fair Access to School Act is to limit the use of out-of-school suspensions in the District’s traditional public and public charter schools.
Council member David Grosso’s advocacy for limiting out-of-school suspensions resulted in him authoring the “Student Fair Access to School Act of 2018. (Courtesy Photo)
“The Student Fair Access to School Act is transformational- it breaks the traditional model of school discipline which pushes students out of school and, too often, into the courts,” Grosso said of the legislation according to a release. “This shifting mindset will result in students being better prepared to succeed academically and safer school environments for all.”
Students in kindergarten through eighth grade cannot be suspended unless the infraction was a serious safety incident and forbids usage of suspensions in high school for minor offenses. If suspension is required, the legislation also protects a student’s right to an education while not in school and a plan for once the child returns to the classroom.
“Suspensions and expulsions are contributing to the achievement gap in our schools,” said Grosso. “For our students of color, our young girls, and our students who need additional educational supports, this is a civil rights bill.