House Bill 2460 would allow public schools to suspend students in kindergarten through 4th grade for any reason for up to two days, undermining legislation passed two years ago to protect young students from discipline policies.
Even short-term school suspensions have a lasting negative impact on children. Compared to similar students who were not removed from classrooms, suspended students are more likely to suffer academically, repeat a grade, and drop out of school. Suspension is also an ineffective strategy to address school safety because it does not address the underlying reasons for disruptive behavior, nor does it create opportunities for students to learn new ways to communicate or resolve conflict. School discipline is also disproportionately applied to Black, Latino, indigenous students, LGBTQ, and disabled students.
Just two years ago, a bipartisan coalition came together to support reforms to ensure out-of-school suspension was not the first option for kindergarten through 4th-grade students. HB 2460, which will allow the suspension of young students for minor infractions, is a step backward for Arizona’s public school children. Rather than allowing for the suspension of young students, the state should increase support for teachers and students. Addressing Arizona’s last-in-the-nation student-to-school counselor ratio would be a good place to start.
Take Action: Ask your state Senator to OPPOSE HB 2460 TODAY!
ORGANIZATION NAME
ORG ADDRESS LINE 1 ORG ADDRESS LINE 2
ORG CITY, ORG STATE ORG ZIP
ORG CONTACT PHONE
ORG CONTACT EMAIL
Follow Us