New York’s students need your support now.

Schools should be places where students are included, respected, and supported.

The Judith S. Kaye Solution's Not Suspensions Bill (Senate Bill S1040B / Assembly Bill A5691A) will reform the harsh usage of school suspensions by establishing restorative, age-appropriate, and equitable disciplinary measures in New York's schools.

In New York, students lose hundreds of thousands of days in the classroom each year to suspensions, often for normal, youthful behavior. These punishments disproportionately impact Black and Latinx students, children with disabilities, and youth who identify as LGBTQIA+, often leading to learning loss, disengagement, poor school retention, and an overarching school-to-prison pipeline.

Out-of-school suspensions remain a common practice in New York State's public schools, despite their failure to address students’ behaviors.. To improve school climates and correct students’ actions, districts should consider the implementation of curriculums and programs that hold students accountable while also providing the developmental space to learn.

The Solutions Not Suspensions Bill will update an ineffective system of punitive discipline.

• Make suspensions a last resort, not a first response to disciplinary infractions by incorporating the usage of restorative practices such as peer-to-peer mediation, counseling, and parent conferences.

• Restrict the maximum length of a suspension of 180 days (an entire school year) unless otherwise required by federal law.

• Limit the usage of suspensions for students in pre-kindergarten through 3rd grade to only the most destructive behavior.

• Mandate that all suspended students receive adequate out-of-school instruction and the opportunity to complete missed credits.

• Require charter schools to follow state education policies regarding discipline.