Fewer suspensions, expulsions will help students graduate

On Wednesday, August 20th, the Anne Arundel County Board of Education approved a new policy for student suspensions and expulsions focused on rewarding positive behavior and minimizing punishments that reduce time spent in the classroom. Anne Arundel County is responding to changes that the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) approved in January.

 MSDE required all 24 Maryland school districts to revise their discipline policies in an effort to shift from zero tolerance policies, which had led to an increase in suspensions and expulsions, to policies that keep kids in the classroom. In a 2013 report, MSDE found that of the more than 51,000 students who had received a suspension or expulsion, more than 83 percent received an out-of-school suspension or expulsion. Even more troubling, a 2014 National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance report highlighted the racial disparities in out-of-school suspensions and expulsions. The report found that Black students in Maryland received out-of-school suspensions at more than twice the rate of White students. The trend was similar for students in special education.

 The goal of Maryland’s effort to keep kids in the classroom is to prevent students from permanently leaving school. Research has shown that students who receive an out-of-school suspension or expulsion are more likely to drop-out. In 2013 Maryland had a dropout rate of 9.4 percent. Students who drop out are more likely to become involved in the juvenile justice system and the adult justice system. Last January, Attorney General Eric Holder spoke in Baltimore about the policies which have led to a “school to prison pipeline”, stating “they can have significant and lasting negative effects on the long-term well-being of our young people, increasing their likelihood of future contact with the juvenile and criminal justice systems.”

 A 2011 study by the legislative Task Force to Study High School Dropout Rates of Persons in the Criminal Justice System reported that a 5 percent increase in the male graduation rates in Maryland could save the state an estimated $160 million in crime related costs. The task force also reported that $193 million in tax revenue was lost due to decreased work productivity by high school dropouts.    

 Students who drop out due to suspensions and expulsions can also severely weaken their earning potential and contributions to the local economy. This effect worsened after the Great Recession. Our recent report Bursting the Bubble, noted that employment rates for workers in the National Capital Region with less than a high school diploma have fallen 9 percent. Black workers in the national capital region were hardest hit by unemployment, with an unemployment rate double that of White workers between the ages of 25-54.