Out-of-school suspension and expulsion should only be a punishment for the most severe cases of student behavior. We can all agree that we should discipline school children for their bad behavior, but should they be given out-of-school suspension for the consequences of their actions? Schools have been “giving out suspensions like they’re pencils,” says Jacqueline Burt at The Stir. Many kids view this as a blessing in disguise, while teachers view it as either a short break(no disruptions from suspended student) or as surplus work: they have to give the student their late assignments, and catch them up and teach them about what they missed during the school day.

How severe do the actions of a student have to be until they get suspended? Are the children aware of what they’re doing, or is it unintentional? When student Kendra Turner, a senior at Dyer County High School, said “bless you” after someone sneezed, she was sent up to the office and given in-school suspension for the rest of the day. Dyer County High School Superintendent Dwight Hedge states that the outburst was a “distraction” to the classroom, and displayed her religion. Sixteen-year-old Kyler Robertson received a three-day suspension because of his bloodshot eyes. He got the suspension because of his “apparent smell of marijuana” on his shirt. The reason he had bloodshot eyes was his father was stabbed to death two days before he decided to return to school. Courtney Webb, a young poet, was expelled for writing an empathetic poem, after the Newton School Shooting. Due to the zero-tolerance policy, her poem was misinterpreted. Were the consequences taken to discipline the child necessary to such a high extent?

There are other unintended side-effects with suspension, like the academic environment and the family of the suspended or expelled student. School without a disruptive child may make the class run more smoothly, allowing kids to have a better ability to learn without distraction. Children may be more focused in class, without a teacher constantly reprimanding a child with a loud demeanor. But, what if the student who received a suspension or expulsion was otherwise a good student and contributed to the class’s learning?  The class may be more choppy, because the student isn’t there to constantly answer the questions that others can’t answer. Also, if the suspended student didn’t understand an assignment, they would have to seek out help and advice from a teacher or a family member. Overall, they wouldn’t get the same learning experience of the other children.

When a teacher, assistant principal, or principal suspends a student, do they think about how the suspension would impact the family of the student? The suspension could be a burden for the family of the suspended child. Would they leave their child at home all alone after they were suspended? In Student Experience of ISS/OSS by Jessica M. James, the author mentions that in her counseling studies the responses to how their family treated the problem varied. Approximately 33% of the suspended students interviewed said that their parents gave them extra work to do due to the fact that they had an open day. This led to the students getting behind on their schoolwork, which was a “deterrent to getting suspended again,” one student said. Another 33% showed that the families were disappointed but essentially left the child alone.

Would students take the suspension as a chance to improve? According to Student and Parent Perspectives of Effective Discipline Practices Regarding Repeated School Misbehaviors by Nathan Biggs, Inge Esping, Amy Regier & Kenny Waddell, 19% of the national student population continue with misbehavior and receive more than two suspensions every year. Within that 19%, 6% get more than six referrals in one year. These numbers have been steadily rising since the 1970s. Overall, 3.3 million students in grades K through 12 are suspended at least once a year. Based on these statistics, can parents and teachers say that suspension is improving a student's’ behavior?

The numbers for student suspension in K through 12 Grade had a big increase from the year 2000 to 2007. According to the Institute of Educational Sciences, the percentage of suspensions in 2000 was 4% for females and 9% for males. The percentage of suspensions in 2007 was 15% for females and 28% for males. The increase shows that the number of suspensions have been increasing. Suspensions have to be used for only severe cases or else they will become meaningless due to the number of children already receiving them.