Butte County’s Oroville City Elementary School District, which has a suspension rate that is three times the statewide average, is being investigated by the state Bureau of Children's Justice.
A new bill proposed by state Sen. Nancy Skinner would ban out-of-school suspensions in all grades for student behavior deemed “defiant and disruptive” by school authorities. Advocates hopeful Gov. Newsom will be more receptive than Jerry Brown, who vetoed two previous bills.
Many educators say restorative justice has transformed school climates. Others say it is over-hyped. A new study by the RAND Corp. lends support to both sides.
Two near indicators – chronic absenteeism and college/career readiness – debut and reemphasize the need to boost attendance of younger students and better prepare high schoolers for post-graduation.
Tucked inside Gov. Jerry Brown’s May Revision of the state budget is a proposal to extend California's ban on suspensions for “willful defiance” in early elementary grades.
Many tout the practice as a groundbreaking alternative to zero-tolerance policies and a way to alleviate discipline disparities, while some say it's being oversold as a quick fix.
Study finds African-American students make up just over 5 percent of California’s public school enrollment, but account for nearly 18 percent of suspensions, with black boys and young men accounting for most of those.
