The State of Texas set new law in 2017 to help children in pre-k through second grade receive less out of school suspensions.

The state law only allows out of school suspensions for major violations of school policy such as bringing in weapons or drugs on school property.

In the 2015-2016 school year, there were over 101,000 students in pre-k through second grade who had received out of school suspensions. Obviously we can see that the number is quite ridiculous, especially for children ages 3-8. Once the new law was set in place, approximately 70,000 children received out of school suspensions.

54% of out-of-school suspensions came from Killeen ISD alone in the 2017-2018 school year. In-school-suspensions also topped other districts coming in at 44% in 2017-2018. As disappointing as these numbers are, hopefully, we can lower these percentages by being proactive. KISD is now focusing on promoting positive behavior and has even hired a psychologist to help assess children with their mental health.

Reports state that foster children, children of African American descent, and children with disabilities were being suspended more often for actions similar to that of other students.

As most people are aware, getting off on the wrong track in school can follow you all the way to High School, and could even hinder your chance of graduating.  By limiting out of school suspensions, educators are now able to focus on more positive approaches to improve behavior and learning.

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