Philly Kindergartners Will No Longer Be Suspended

Photo | It’s Our City via Flickr / Creative Commons

Philly’s youngest students will no longer be suspended from school for misbehavior. The School Reform Commission announced today that it has approved revisions to the Student Code of Conduct that will remove suspensions as punishment for Kindergarten students.

“We remain focused on academic achievement, children reading on grade level, and college and career readiness. The early years are the most important, and we need students in school,” said Superintendent William Hite in a statement.

The district says that it is shifting its focus towards being proactive by equipping teachers with the skills to de-escalate and resolve conflicts while also recognizing trauma.

“Studies show that more kindergarten suspensions lead to less opportunity for children to stay on grade level with their peers,” said Hite. “The more time a child spends in school, the greater the likelihood they will read on grade level, not dropout, and graduate from high school.”