Suspensions for defying school rules may become a thing of the past in California public and charter schools.
Legislation introduced by state Sen. Nancy Skinner would ban such suspensions while aiming to understand what is causing the children to act out and treating it.
Senate Bill 274 is meant to keep children in school. It would end willful defiance suspensions such as failing to take off a hat or hooded sweatshirt in grades TK through 12.
“The punishment for missing school should not be to miss more school,” Skinner said in a statement. “Students, especially those with behavioral issues, need to be in school where teachers and counselors can help them succeed.”
Oakland and San Francisco unified school districts already ban willful defiance suspensions.
SB 274 builds on legislation previously introduced by Skinner and signed by the governor. Senate Bill 419 banned suspensions for willful defiance permanently through grade five and prohibits them in grades 6 through 8 until 2025.
“Students belong in school,” Skinner said. “Suspending youth for low-level behavior issues leads to significant harm, including learning loss and a higher likelihood that affected students will drop out of school completely.”
Suspensions for defying school rules have historically affected Black male students, according to Skinner’s office.
SB 274 is also meant to reduce the number of dropouts in state schools. High school students are twice as likely to drop out if they are suspended even once in 9th grade, according to a 2014 Johns Hopkins University study titled “Sent Home and Put Off Track.”
Skinner’s bill would also end suspensions and expulsions for truancy or tardiness.
49 comments
Hold up, say what?
Oh good old Nancy skinner! She’s the same one that was proposing the bill to decriminalize assault, as long as less than $950 was taken during the assault. That would have turned every ATM machine area into a bloodbath!
@Badge1104 – Your contention that either assault or strong arm robbery were “decriminalized” by any legislation is misleading. Recent legislation Reclassified certain a felony offenses as misdemeanors. That is is NOT “decriminalizing” such offense, for misdemeanor offenses ARE criminal offenses. Indeed, the law vests prosecutors with discretion to seek incarceration (up to one year) to punish misdemeanor convictions. (That many prosecutors and judges exercise that discretion with a lenient tilt is a distinct matter.)
Your screen name suggests that you are a law enforcement officer. If that’s the case, you undoubtedly know that misdemeanors are indeed criminal offenses. Online posts which suggest otherwise under the color of authority are obviously intended to influence public opinion based on a false premise. That is a subversive dereliction of your most fundamental duty and a profound breach of public trust, officer.
Larry
When you are reducing the penalty for a crime, you are decriminalizing the crime. There is no penalty for these crimes in reality because no one wanta to prosecute a misdemeanor … think Larry. You are from Lamorinda (Lafayette, Moraga and Orinda) a supposedly wealthy area full of smart people who can interpret this, sir.
@ Parent – I’m afraid you and other credulous citizens have been mislead by unscrupulous officials if you believe that the law provides “no penalty for these [misdemeanor] crimes.”
On the contrary, California Penal Code section 19 provides that “every offense declared to be a misdemeanor is punishable by imprisonment in the county jail.” Legislation which classifies an offense as a misdemeanor thus does not “decriminalize” it in the least.
The law is clear. Those entrusted to enforce it, unfortunately, have gone rogue.
We must demand that the police investigate misdemeanors, place misdemeanor suspects under arrest and work up colorable cases for the DA to pursue. You also need to elect both DAs who will vigorously prosecute misdemeanors and seek the penalties prescribed by law and judges willing to impose them upon misdemeanor defendants upon conviction.
The current state of affairs is that the police don’t bother with crimes reclassified as misdemeanors because there’s less glory than bagging felony defendants. I suspect that there’s also some degree of sour grapes in that many LEOs are effectively “on strike” with respect to reclassified misdemeanors because they opposed the legislation which reclassified such offenses. In essence, our law enforcement community is willfully allowing criminals to run wild in order to terrorize the electorate into rescinding the reclassification. Officers who participate in such chicanery are guilty of inciting criminal subversion. It’s akin to a petulant child packing up his toys and going home when the play scheme doesn’t go his way, except the “toys” here are rule of law and public safety.
Larry Larry Larry
You are a funny man.
‘Criminal subversion’ … wow. So officers have arrested folks and the DA etc …. Release, but you blame the officer for no longer arresting these misdemeanor criminals . Wow … how much do you think the moral of these officers is impacted by the DA releasing them? That message is loud and clear … don’t arrest them because we are not prosecuting. If they are not prosecuting, not a crime.
You are sorely misplaced the problem by placing it on the officers. You are very wrong …
It is our politicians, and people who vote for these stupid laws ‘we will not punish you by acting out or stealing or ….’
@Parent – To which “terrible law” do you refer? There are no laws that relive law enforcement of investigating misdemeanor offenses. Cops’ widespread refusal to do so is not sanctioned by any law; it’s just institutionalized petulance.
I can assure you there are no misdemeanor offenders in jail right now. They get arrested, booked and site released- often with no bail. In fact they were released in mass during the pandemic. Your ivory tower is showing.
The scenario you describe is the law enforcement community’s dereliction of duty. Systemic failure to investigate misdemeanor crimes, arrest suspects on misdemeanor charges, or prosecute the few that the cops do bother to arrest offends the public trust. Classifying a crime as a misdemeanor, however, does not “decriminalize” the offense.
The cops and DA just need to to do their jobs.
Larry
Your outright hatred for our Law Enforcement is showing. Law Enforcement is only going to enforce a law that will be prosecuted by the DA/government. LE can arrest everyone that breaks a law, but will they be prosecuted, most likely not. It used to be if a vehicle was over 6 months expired, it was towed/impounded. That law still exists but our greaseball in charge has said it is racist because only people of color/our low income/illegals cannot pay …. And so therefore only their cars were being impounded. I got a guy on my block, a white male who can afford his stuff, whose car was last registered in 2019. His statement was why should I, they won’t impound the car anymore.
You need to redirect your hatred. You need to speak to LE about why they will not even come out to a car burglary in a timely manner any longer. Why they now ask you to do it online.
People like you discourage them and blame them for actions outside of their control.
What these little bratts need is a good paddling in the principles office.
No wiz. Teaching professipn has it’s own
Issues. Students are just part of the problem. And, paddling perverts are not the answer
Good paddling on the a**, not just in the principles office but at home. It’s called RESPECT people.
These idiots keep removing any punishment for wrong doing. No one is ever held responsible for there actions giving them no reason to change such bad behavior. We need politicians to stay out of this. They have destroyed this state with no accountability for one’s own actions. We wonder why no one respects law and order. If there are no boundaries are consequences there is no need for anyone to change there bad behavior.
Jordan Peterson had an interesting idea to explain this lunatic level of tolerance for bad behavior on the part of the left. Mothers have to have infinite patience and tolerance of their children, as infants are totally reliant on them to survive, and quite difficult to deal with at times. The theory goes that what is happening society wide might be some sort of transference of that behavior to the wider culture, especially as masculinity has been ruthlessly suppressed and feminism has become one of the dominant ideologies among the left.
It’s especially easy for that type to indulge in this when they don’t have to bear the consequences of those actions themselves, as Skinner obviously never will.
California- land of no consequences for misbehavior. More coddling and woke nonsense from another politician named Nancy.
Now they believe students belong in school—after keeping them home for almost two years! Taking rules away in school turns them into Lord of the Flies, but wait…has that book been banned?
It’s the parents’ responsibilty to ensure their kid behaves in a civil manner in a social setting. Suspensions are intended for parents to deal with the issue.
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Skinner is a moron.
I wonder if it isn’t more about the indoctrination of the students.
Keep them in school, special classes for those who don’t follow the indoctrination protocols.
All the students need to be the same, obedient, and docile.
This sounds abjectly STUPID, no consequences or accountability total garbage what do you expect from Commiefornia
Attendance = $
Yep. And all the good kids will suffer.
Just another seed planted to further root Communism.
Nancy Skinner, Scott Weiner and so many more of these far left-leaning political types have purposely and specifically been chosen by the elites to degrade our communities and society.
To completely takeover a country, Communists must first destroy the minds of the youth to ensure that their future offspring have no semblance of structure, discipline, decency, morals or ethics which, subsequently, allows the elites total control over society as it hits a breaking point.
After which, those lucky enough–or, really unlucky enough– who have survived this chaos, will eventually plead with the Government to step in to suppsedly save them from further destruction. Thus, the elites accomplish their
desire for total control.
Problem. Reaction. Solution.
@Sally J. – Let’s unpack your premise: Do you contend this bill intends to “destroy the minds of the youth” by KEEPING KIDS IN SCHOOL?
Now, read the preceding sentence aloud to yourself. Sounds like spurious twaddle, right?
Sally: Great observation. Note that last year Larry was trying to play economist here and was totally wrong in his forecast. Above in this discussion he is trying to school a cop about his job. Below he is trying to convince someone why they should allow their kids to have a bad education because disruptive kids should be given preference. I am absolutely certain that when the plumber comes to Larry’s house to fix the sink, Larry tells him a better way to do it. [eye roll]
What “forecast” do you attribute to me, sir? And what respect do you contend it was “ totally wrong?”
Well if these brats are going to drop out anyways, how about putting them in burger flipping and trench digging classes. Give them some work skills
THE BOTTOM LINE –
–
Twisted facts, half-truths, and outright lies.
No students in the seats means no financial reimbursement while they’re out of school.
It’s just that simple, and if you believe them, so are you.
Wow, the anti-mask/vaccine mandate crew really seems to feel kids should be punished if rules aren’t followed.
The irony.
Cue the responses:
“Masks don’t work”
“the vaccine is murdering people”
Wow – the mask your infants and jab everybody crew sure seems to be happy to allow miscreant kids to do whatever they want with no consequences.
Parents, you have a right to observe what’s taking place on your child’s school campus. Go visit during lunch time. You’ll be appalled at what the kids get away with. Middle school has to be the most challenging, but kids need rules and consequences for their actions. It’s not happening folks. Grab another parent and pay a visit.
STOP teaching about a liberal’ Utopian fantasy world ! !
Start teaching reality and a varied skill set in demand by employers.
.
Ask a high school senior to explain difference between simple and compound interest.
What a skill set is and what skills they have an employer would want.
.
Seems what’s being graduated now are gender confused, career welfare recipients.
I skimmed the paper and one thing interesting is the complete lack of concern that this misbehavior negatively impacts the other students who are there to learn. It is all about focus on doing whatever is necessary to improve the success of the misbehaving students. If one or more students completely disrupt the class so others can’t learn, it means nothing to these authors and they claim all resources should instead be devoted to pandering to the needs of the disruptive.
I would NEVER vote for Nancy Skinnier, but this proposal seems quite sensible.
Why?
Because I was a chronically truant juvenile delinquent in high school.
I absolutely LOVED SUSPENSION: I’d enthusiastically proclaim: “I can’t go to school, mom” and bolt out the door to spend the day causing trouble around town or have sex with equally delinquent female contemporaries.
I absolutely LOATHED DETENTION (especially “Saturday school!”), because it meant I couldn’t go cause trouble around town with my favorite accomplices or have sex with equally delinquent female contemporaries.
Ask yourself: Do you want lawless adolescents contained on campus under adult supervision or running wild, burglarizing your house and getting knocked up during school hours?
No I do not want lawless delinquents on the same campus as my children who are trying to learn. One of my children recently stated that a teacher is spending 15-20 minutes to do the daily review instead of the 5-7 originally planned. Why? Cause the lawless delinquents keep disrupting the class and don’t do the work. So my kids suffers …
For you, it sounds like your parents failed you by letting you out of the house when you were suspended from school. Sounds like they should explained the consequences of your suspension. You state here proudly what you did … and you think that to solve that, the kid should stay in school? Nope. The parents should be addressing the suspension. Parents are supposed to teach morals and social etiquette. That is not the teachers responsibility. The teacher teaches a subject … and there are no classes called Morals, or Integrity.
I agree with your commentary, Parent…parents are failing and we are now catering to the lowest common denominator in society–normalizing them to the point that the previous poster rationalized it to be a good thing…we are witnessing the decay of society!
My parents absolutely failed. They were lazy and hapless.
If you get your way, you’d better lock your house up tight during the school day!
Good luck with that, “parent.”
I don’t need to lock up my house if parents did their job. You are trying to push the responsibility of parenting to the teacher. If parents did their job, you would not have to worry. I don’t worry … my kids are well behaved. And if they are suspended, I will stay home with them or they will come to work with me. They will learn consequences, though mine know already. I am trying to be a good parent to mine.
The other poster claims to have been a chronically truant, juvenile delinquent running around town creating breaking the law and knocking up underage girls yet feels the need to blather eloquent as if we should now take his opinion as anything other than the opinion of a former juvenile criminal.
@Larry – the truant miscreants had better ask themselves if anything in my house is worth getting two .45 hollow points center mass.
Ridiculous … more WOKE , cancel culture garbage … only in Cali ..sad what this state has come to .. thanks libs
We need civic classes. Classes that teach manners and accountability. And we need suspension. The parents of these children should be held accountable. Make the parents come in and sit with their bad child during class. Bet those kids would behave then.
As a person who teaches in a middle school, I can honestly say that this is the dumbest piece of legislation in the history of California.
@JHalladay
Unfortunately, it’s not.
I worked in various school systems and in social services for years, its a fact that a number of students cannot function and cannot operate in a traditional school setting, they absolutely should be removed and either placed in a setting that fits their needs or removed from school all together….I worked in a San Bernardino area school district and when students would act up, misbehave, or be habitually truent their parents/guardian were given a summons and had to go before a judge and explain their child’s behavior
So, at yesterday’s coffee klatch a fly shared a new principal at Mt. Diablo High is doing some good things.
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He brought back in-house suspension. Apparently the kids are in a room all day and can’t leave. Has a bathroom in the room and lunch is brought in to them. Teachers send the kid’s schoolwork and the In-house is staffed by a real teacher. Is said to be working.
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Keeps the kids in school = $$$$ and removes a problem child from the Gen Pop…
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Kids are still sent home for real bad stuff….
Welcome to the Lord Of The Flies come to life.
Agree Exit 12A. But, maybe that’s were alot of the problems come from. Absent parents. You can define “absent” in many ways.
Absolutely! The good kids who care will pay the consequences while the teacher deals with students who don’t believe any rules apply to them. I dare Nancy Skinner (and Governor Newsom) to teach a class for a couple of weeks with 30 kids and several that should have been suspended.
Lamorinda Larry since you have so much experience with these kinds of kids, you should teach those that should be suspended and test them at the end of the year to see what standards they have learned.
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