Out-of-school suspensions and expulsions broadly affect students, and pediatricians should stand ready to help children and their families affected by these disciplinary tactics while working to encourage alternatives, a policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends.
The policy statement, published Feb. 25 in Pediatrics, notes that research has demonstrated not only that "zero-tolerance policies" can be ineffective deterrents, but also, in fact, they can be harmful to students.
The statement (doi:10.1542/peds.2012-3932) urges pediatricians to screen children early for behavioral problems so that they can be referred to Head Start or other community resources, and to communicate with school health officials about how to assist or support school-age students who have behavior problems before those problems result in suspension or expulsion.
Finally, the policy urges pediatricians to learn about their local school districts’ policies on disciplinary actions that remove students from school, and advocate for policies that focus on prevention and positive behavior change.
"Out-of-school suspension and expulsion can contribute to the risk of a student dropping out of high school," the authors wrote. "The costs of a person’s failure to complete his or her secondary education are significant and are borne by society as a whole."