11.20.2014 | SchoolBook | Bernard Dufresne, a staff attorney at Advocates for Children, said he thought the school missed an opportunity to encourage a conversation between the parties in a much more constructive setting. “Principals in many ways see a suspension as the first option,” he said, adding that suspensions were “not an investment in the student’s academic outcomes” and that students often returned more disengaged from school. While the current discipline code allows for other interventions, including mediation and restorative justice, there are not strong incentives to encourage many principals to change their ways. Li atik