Consequences Of Discipline

Kids who are suspended are at a greater risk of dropping out. The consequences of punitive discipline are devastating. Students who are repeatedly suspended, or expelled, are likely to fall behind in school, paving the way to their eventual dropout. 3,030,000 students drop out of high school annually. That 's 8,300 a day! 75% of US crime is committed by a high school drop out . The research correlates dropout to suspensions and expulsions. A student is also more likely to drop out if he or she has been held back a grade ( a consequence of multiple suspensions). According to the Centers for Disease Control, out-of-school youth are significantly more likely than in-school youth to engage in physical fights, carry a weapon, smoke, use alcohol …show more content…
Boom! Who doesn 't want that? Big Picture School in Burien Washington adopted Restorative Justice in there school in 2011. It is giving suspended students an option other than time out of school by meeting with a panel of peers and community members who may be affected by the negative action to address the harm caused. Discipline rates dropped from more than 700 assigned days of suspension in 2011-2012 to less than 10 this year. Restorative Justice takes time but it also saves time. Principles spend significantly less time on discipline matters with restorative justice. This kind of peer panel usually mediates conflicts before they escalate. The most powerful part of restorative justice often occurs when the student gains a deeper understanding of his or her role in the community. For example, two students who drank alcohol on a retreat were absolutely affected when their fellow students shared their own struggles dealing with the effects of alcoholism in their own families. Restorative justice brings humanization to everyone involved in the healing circle. This leads to a deep understanding for the stories behind the youth making unhealthy decisions. Peer panel members, teachers, parents, and the victims involved get a real scene of the power of community. It can also give teachers and parents the skills to help mediate conflict home and outside of work. This gives the opportunity for trust to be rebuilt between students, parents, and faculty. King county juvenile prosecutor Jimmy Hung recently took a chance with restorative justice sentence instead of traditional prosecution and had great success. Clark County has been working along similar lines since 2000 . We must declare suspension and expulsions ineffective and