Suspended from School

It seems that more and more we are reading of cases where very young  kids - kindergarteners (including pre-kindergarteners) and first graders - are being suspended from school. Here are some recent cases:

• a 4-year-old for kicking off his shoes and crying in frustration. 
• a 6-year-old who formed his hand into the shape of a gun.  
• another 6-year-old was ousted for having a Cub Scout camping tool that included a knife.
• an 8-year-old boy who pocketed a pill for his attention deficit disorder as he rushed to leave for school. After he went to take the medication during a restroom break, he was suspended for possession of a controlled substance.
• a kindergartener with autistic-like behaviors, prone to meltdowns, was suspended for more than 10 days. 

That last case is particularly interesting as one would think the child would have been a candidate for SpecialEd. Walter Gilliam, a child development specialist, has studied pre-kindergarten expulsions. His comment on the issue:  “We would never send a child home because that child was struggling at reading. We would never send a child home if that child was struggling with math. Why would we send a child home for struggling with social-emotional skills?”

Gilliam and others believe that these early-age suspensions have little value. The kids  lose instruction time and slip behind in classes.  And, the experts worry about other potential problems: lower regard from peers or teachers, a shift in identity, an alienation from school. Some studies show that suspended students are more prone to low achievement, dropping out of school and landing in the juvenile justice system.

While no one knows why some kids act up to a fearsome degree, there is at least one theory that it is because they are academically not up to the same level as the other kids, for example, they may not be able to read. Others blame family problems or learning disabilities.