New Hanover County schools need to nurture young children, not harm them with exile from their lessons and their peers. Out-of-school suspension is a counterproductive method of discipline for students of any age. It is especially egregious when used on our youngest elementary school students. And it is used much too frequently. It is not acceptable that a Black child is seven times more likely to be suspended than a non-Black child in New Hanover County, even for very young students age 4-7. As a first step toward eliminating suspensions in favor of restorative justice in all grades, the New Hanover County Board of Education should end now the use of suspensions below third grade. |