Rethinking School Discipline: Less Suspensions and More Conversations

The U.S. Department of Education has urged school districts to consider alternatives to suspensions and expulsions, especially in view of the racial inequities that see far more minority students suspended and kicked out school than white students. A popular approach — one being used by many Georgia districts including Atlanta Public Schools and DeKalb Schools — is restorative justice where the wrongdoer joins classmates and teachers in frank discussions that addresses the causes and effects of the incident and allows victims to speak and amends to be made.