Anti-Suspension Policies for Violent Students Traumatize Classmates and Teachers

Summary

Schools that refuse to suspend or remove violent students, on the grounds that 'suspensions don't work,' are victimizing the rest of the student body and staff. Victims of classroom violence are forced to spend every day with their abusers, leading to chronic anxiety, depression, PTSD, and increased absenteeism, while teachers are physically attacked and their authority is undermined. These same violent students are also left without specialized alternative environments to address their needs, so the policy fails both them and their classmates. This unsafe, unjust dilemma remains largely unsolved, as no balanced discipline solution exists that protects all students while providing appropriate interventions for the aggressors.