Missouri is considering limiting out-of-school suspensions for students up to third grade.
State Representative Ian Mackey, a Democrat from St. Louis County, sponsored the legislation. He said contrary to what some people think, it's not an outright ban on suspensions.
"But it is a bill that seeks to both limit the number of suspensions that students at that level go through, and also require reporting of data and info related to those suspensions to the state Department of Education so we can better understand the reasons students are being suspended and how frequently," he said.
Mackey clarified that students who engage in violence will certainly still be suspended. But other cases should be more carefully considered, he said.
"We heard story after story after story both in email, and parents who showed up to testify in the committee hearing, and there's also been multiple news reports of parents whose students — young students especially — are suspended for plenty of non-violent acts," he said. "Things that include typical childlike behavior. Maybe not listening, maybe talking back, maybe making gestures that are unwanted, things like that."
Mackey said it's a move away from "zero-tolerance policies" and that he wants schools to be able to make decisions on a case-by-case basis. A second House committee could vote on the bill soon.
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