Today, the City is taking some very important steps to support the social and emotional needs of students and keep them in school. Day after day, we see the academic and emotional harm that suspended, handcuffed, and arrested students face — particularly Black and Latino students and students with disabilities, who are disproportionately impacted. Over the years, the length of a suspension has often been way out of proportion to what the student did wrong, with the result that students have missed 45, 90, or 180 days of school and had trouble catching up and readjusting when they returned. We are pleased to see the City take action to reduce overly long suspensions and limit school-based arrests, which should decrease the long-term costs to students and communities of punishing students by pushing them out of school.

For many years, Advocates for Children of New York has zealously advocated for all schools to have access to evidence-based approaches that keep students safe, supported, and learning in school, while they grow from their mistakes. By focusing more resources on supporting students directly through clinically trained mental health professionals in schools and Restorative Practices, the City is showing an increased commitment to keeping all students in school and learning.