That’s a crisis, advocates say, for students, for families, and for the entire city. “Exclusionary discipline only denies students critical education time that was already lost during the pandemic,” says New York Civil Liberties Youth Programs Manager Quinn Carroll, a coalition member. “It increases drop-out rates, and exacerbates already existing educational disparities due to race, disability, and socioeconomic status.”

They are asking for the school system to implement the New York State Education Department’s own recommendations for improvement:

1. Stop suspending students in grades pre-kindergarten through 3rd grade;
2. End suspensions for vague and arbitrary reasons;
3. Limit the length of suspensions to 20 days; and
4. Ensure that students who are out of school have access to real, meaningful education.

These changes will make Buffalo’s youth more likely to graduate and will immediately reduce some of the racial and wealth gaps that plague our schools.

The model policy suggests language that would update current district policy to bring these four recommendations to Buffalo Public Schools. You can see the model policy here.

The suspension reform coalition includes New York Civil Liberties Union, Western New York Law Center, Legal Aid Bureau of Buffalo, and Community Action Organization. They brought this advocacy priority to PPG's 2024 Community Agenda.