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From YouTube: Joint Committee on Education, Children & Youth 11-2-2017
Description
The Joint Committees on Education and Children & Youth of the Council of the City of Philadelphia held a Public Hearing on Thursday, November 2, 2017, at 1:00 PM, in Room 400, City Hall, to hear testimony on the following item:
170439 Resolution authorizing the Joint City Council Committees on Education and Children and Youth to hold hearings reviewing the impact of permanently prohibiting the suspension of elementary-aged students from the first through fifth grades in The School District of Philadelphia.
Committee on Education
Chair: Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell (3rd District)
Vice Chair: Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown (At Large)
Committee on Children and Youth
Chair: Councilwoman Helen Gym (At Large)
Vice Chair: Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown (At Large)
A
A
We're
getting
ready
to
read
our
title
of
this
resolution
before
our
Joint
Committee
on
education
and
children
and
youth
with
regard
to
the
impact
of
children
being
suspended
and
whether
or
not
we
think
they
should
be.
We
have
serious
opinions
about
that
about
these
permanent
suspensions
with
children
first
through
fifth
grade.
So
we'll
ask
the
clerk
to
read
the
title
of
resolution:
one
seven:
zero,
four,
three:
nine
and
while
she's
reading
that
we're
going
to
a
state
representative,
Jordan
Harris,
to
join
us
at
the
witness
table.
Thank
you.
A
E
Afternoon
and
thank
you
very
very
much
to
my
colleagues,
a
chairwoman
of
this
committee,
Councilwoman
Blackwell,
chairperson
Jim
of
the
children
and
youth
committee,
I,
do
want
to
say
thank
you
very,
very
much
for
stepping
away
from
your
desk
and
joining
us
this
afternoon.
In
this
conversation
about
improving
the
life
chances
of
our
city's
children,
I
would
be
remiss
also
if
I
did
not
salute
and
say.
E
Thank
you
to
our
special
guests
attendance,
the
representative
Jordan
Harris,
who
has
shown
tremendous
leadership
on
this
suspension
issue
both
here
in
Philadelphia,
where
his
constituents
reside,
but
also
in
Harrisburg,
where
he
serves
the
people
of
our
city.
I
would
is
my
personal
opinion
with
passion,
commitment
and
energy
when
it
comes
to
kids.
We
appreciate
your
presence.
There.
I
also
want
to
thank
our
representative
from
the
school
district
of
photo
FAC
Aaron
T
Lynch
for
the
service
that
you
provide
to
our
children.
E
Every
day
background
in
the
spring
of
this
year,
I,
along
with
my
fellow
council
member
Councilwoman
gem,
introduced
this
resolution
calling
for
hearings
on
the
impact
of
banning
suspensions
of
students
in
Philadelphia.
We're
focusing
our
attention
today
on
the
suspension
of
elementary
students,
strictly
students
from
age
six
to
ten
some
of
the
youngest
little
people.
Our
school
district
is
responsible
to
educate
every
day
across
the
country.
Cities
and
states
are
taking
steps
to
ban
suspensions
of
young
people.
E
Bands
with
suspensions
of
young
people
are
now
in
effect
in
Seattle,
which
typically
always
is
ahead
of
the
curve
on
a
lot
of
public
policy
matters,
Minneapolis
Houston,
New,
York,
City,
Chicago,
California
Connecticut
and
our
neighbor
New
Jersey.
The
reasons
are
twofold:
first,
it
is
unclear
if
children
as
young
as
six
years
old
benefit
from
being
removed
from
the
classroom
as
a
result
of
this
type
of
discipline,
measure
I
know,
as
a
former
teacher
and
the
research
backs
this
up,
that
students
benefit
most
from
consistent
time
in
the
classroom.
E
Removing
young
people
from
the
classroom
has
consequences
for
both
students
and
their
families.
Second,
we
have
seen
significant
disparities
and
who
receives
suspensions.
African-American
and
Latino
students,
boys
students
from
low-income
families
and
students.
Special
needs
are
far
more
likely
to
be
suspended
than
their
counterparts.
That's
a
problem.
We
encounter
hope
and
seek
to
understand
how
this
issue
impacts
young
people
in
our
city,
which
is
why
I'm
delighted
that
we're
finally
going
to
take
a
laser
beam
focus
on
this,
with
different
perspectives
from
a
number
of
panelists
and
I.
Look
forward
to
learning
more.
E
Lastly,
are
closed
with
the
old
adage
that
most
education
educators
know
that
young
people
are
little
people
as
I
like
to
call
them
learn
to
read
from
K
through
3
and
then
from
4th
grade
on.
They
read
to
learn.
So
if
we
don't
get
it
right
from
K
through
3,
including
helping
them
understand
that
there's
a
consequence
that
comes
with
appropriate
behavior
and
behavior,
that
is
disruptive.
E
They
will
never
be
able
to
capture
their
attention
and
save
them
from
themselves
from
4th
grade
on
again
why
we
are
targeting
our
discussion
primarily
for
little
people
from
ages
6
to
10
and
with
that
again
I.
Thank
all
of
you
for
stepping
here
and
offering
your
perspective
as
we
look
at
this
important
education
issue.
Thank
you,
madam
chairwoman.
Thank.
A
F
Remember
getting
suspended
as
a
kid,
but
I
also
remember.
At
Barrett
in
your
high
school
I
got
into
a
little
bit
of
trouble
and
probably
the
worst
thing
that
could
happen
to
me
within
house
suspension,
because
I
was
not
at
home.
Watching
television
I
was
not
at
home
with
people
over
the
house
or
my
mom
or
pop
was
at
work.
I
was
in
in
the
house.
It
was
called
room
3
in
the
basement.
This
Griffin
was
the
disciplinarian,
the
teacher
who
was
assigned
in
that
room.
We
couldn't
even
go
upstairs
to
the
lunchroom.
F
They
have
lunch
with
the
other
kids.
We
had
to
eat
lunch
inside
this
room,
but
I
got
all
my
work
done
so
I
didn't
miss
any
work
when
it's
time
for
me
to
come
back
hard
for
suspension,
but
that
was
a
worse
than
being
at
home
because
they
are
home.
I
had
the
freedom
to
do
whatever
I
wanted
to
do
and
I
wasn't
doing
any
worse,
but
nevertheless,
I
do
commend
all
of
you
for
your
leadership
on
us
and
we
look
forward
to
hearing
the
testimony.
Thank.
A
A
G
You,
madam
chairwoman,
chair
women,
actually
chair,
Blackwell
and
Jim,
for
convening
this
all-important
hearing,
councilman
Blondell,
Reynolds
Brown,
and
thank
you
for
your
support
of
legislation
on
this
issue
and
thank
you
for
your
kind
words
and
also
to
my
partner
and
getting
a
lot
of
work
done
in
the
district.
My
council
person,
councilman
Johnson,
I,
appreciate
you
and
your
words.
G
Yes,
I
won't
do
that
in
front
of
everybody.
Gonna
get
me
in
trouble,
but
we
appreciate
the
opportunity
to
be
here
on
such
an
important
issue.
Back
in
April
myself
and
my
colleague
representative
Jake
Wheatley
from
Allegheny
County
introduced
House
bill
715,
which
seeks
to
ban
out-of-school
suspension
for
kindergarten
through
fifth
grade
students
for
minor
disobedience
and
misconduct.
G
It
was
folks
from
the
education
law
center
who
I'm
sure
you
will
hear
from
later
on
who,
what
the
staggering
statistics
to
my
attention
of
suspension
with
regards
to
our
youngest
learners
and
the
racial
disparities
that
followed.
For
example,
black
students
are
2.6
five
times
more
likely
to
be
suspended
than
their
white
counterparts
and
three
times
more
likely
to
be
suspended
multiple
times.
G
Also,
students
with
disabilities
are
about
1.3
times
more
likely
to
be
suspended
than
their
students
without
disabilities
and,
in
my
opinion,
I
believe
that
suspensions
and
expulsions
exacerbate
behavior
problems
and
they
lead
to
a
lack
of
educational
obtainment,
which
has
long-term
negative
impacts
on
our
young
people
and,
in
my
opinion,
is
the
unintentional
start
to
the
school
to
Prison.
Pipeline.
G
That's
who
we're
talking
about
we're
talking
about
the
young
lady
who
thinks
she's
legitimately
Wonder
Woman
those
that's
what
we're
talking
we're,
not
talking
about
your
tenth,
eleventh
or
twelfth
grader,
we're
talking
about
the
young
man
who
was
going
to
throw
his
spider
web
at
you
to
trap
you
in
that
web.
This
is
the
young
man
who
goes
home
when
he
loses
his
teeth
his
tooth
and
puts
it
under
his
pillow
waiting
for
the
Tooth
Fairy.
G
This
is
the
young
woman
who
gets
up
early
in
the
morning
on
Christmas
to
run
down
to
see
what
Santa
Claus
brought
her
for
Christmas.
That
is
the
age
group
of
young
people
that
we
are
talking
about.
In
addition,
for
me,
this
issue
is
important
because
we
know
that
many
of
our
young
people
who
are
suspended
at
an
early
age
fall
behind
academically.
Many
of
them
fall
behind
academically
fall
out
of
our
educational
systems
and
sadly,
many
of
them
fall
into
our
criminal
justice
system.
G
For
me,
suspension
is
not
about
a
vacation
and
and
in
many
instances
that's
what
it
is
for
our
young
people.
They
get
sent
home,
they
sit
home,
they
watch
TV
all
day.
They
don't
do
the
work,
and
then
they
come
back
with
a
three
four
five
day.
Educational
deficit
now
think
about
it.
This
way,
they're
only
with
their
there's
a
requirement
for
180
days
in
school.
G
So
if
you
have
a
young
person
who
is
suspended
three
times
five
days,
they're
almost
missing
around
ten
percent
of
the
education
that
we
as
the
taxpayers
are
paying
for
them
to
gain
so
I'm,
not
naive.
I
do
understand
that
there
are
issues
that
have
to
be
dealt
with
in
our
classrooms,
as
a
former
teacher
I
understand
that
there
are
issues
that
our
young
people
may
have
in
the
classroom.
My
perspective,
though,
is
that
suspension
is
not
the
way
to
deal
with
it,
particularly
for
minor
infractions.
G
I've
heard
stewed
I've
heard
stories
of
students
being
suspended
because
they're
what
we
would
call
in
my
time
class
clowns
instead
of
paying
attention
they
passed,
notes
and
pass
gas
in
class.
They
do
all
of
those
type
of
things
that
many
of
our
young
people
do
I.
Think
oftentimes.
We
forget
that
our
educational
system
is
not
just
about
reading
mathematics,
science
and
social
studies.
It's
also
about
training,
our
young
people
and
teaching
our
young
people
how
to
be
socialized
and
how
to
be
greater
citizens.
If
you
suspend
a
child,
you
are
not
redirecting
that
behavior.
G
You
are
not
correcting
that
behavior
you're,
just
excluding
them
from
the
classroom.
Now
we'll
say
that
I've
been
in
conversations
with
the
School
District
of
Philadelphia,
since
we
introduced
this
bill
and
I'm
appreciative
of
Karen,
lynching
and
Kevin,
and
all
of
the
other
folks
we've
had
conversations
with
and
I
am
encouraged
to
hear
that
the
district
is
looking
at
expanding
its
ban
from
kindergarten
to
first
in
second
grade
as
well.
G
But
we
need
to
pressure
and
keep
up
the
advocacy
to
do
more.
Lastly,
I
will
say
this:
is
that
I
understand
that
suspension
prevent
them.
The
banning
suspension
alone
will
not
solve
our
problems.
We
need
alternatives
for
teachers
in
their
classrooms
and
those
alternatives
may
come
with
a
price
tag.
We
have
to
be
willing
to
do
the
heavy
lifting
that
is
necessary
to
provide
the
resources
for
our
teachers
to
one
be
trained
on
what
those
alternatives
should
be
and
to
provide
the
resources
necessary
for
those
alternatives.
G
So
again,
I
thank
the
members
of
council
for
taking
up
this
important
issue.
We
will
continue
to
do
all
that
we
can
in
Harrisburg
to
move
forward.
This
issue
last
thing
I'll
say,
is
I
was
in
church
two
Sundays
ago
and
I
listened
to
my
pastor's
son,
tell
a
story
about
how
his
dad
had
to
come
up
to
the
school
because
he
gotten
suspended
in
the
classroom.
Now
my
pastor,
son
and
I
went
to
the
same
middle
school.
G
Would
you
find
it
interesting
to
know
that
the
same
teacher
that
suspended
him
multiple
times
suspended
me
multiple
times
and
I
got
suspended
because
I
was
inquisitive?
You
couldn't
just
tell
me
that
Abraham
Lincoln
freed
the
slaves
and
I
not
push
back,
because
my
mother
and
grandmother
taught
me
otherwise.
Many
of
our
young
people
are
inquisitive
and
instead
of
enhancing
and
encouraging
that
we
suspend
them
because
they
don't
fit
into
what
we
consider
to
be
our
social
norms.
H
G
A
E
G
So
we
introduced
the
bill
in
April,
as
I
said.
As
you
know,
the
legislature
goes
to
the
budget
process.
During
the
same
time,
and
up
until
a
week
and
a
half
ago,
we
were
still
in
that
process.
We
have
since
concluded
their
process
and
now
I
believe
things
are
picking
up
with
regards
to
other
pieces
of
legislation.
There
are.
There
have
been
conversations,
though,
with
members
of
the
of
the
leading
party,
the
majority
party,
to
see
how
we
can
work
together.
There
is
one
member
who
has
another
education
bill
and.
I
E
G
G
And
what
I
could
tell
you
is
that
this
is
not
unique
to
Philadelphia.
This
is
an
issue
that
we're
having
throughout
the
Commonwealth.
I
will
say
this
I
believe
this
is
the
issue
that
we're
having
in
school
districts
that
are
a
little
bit
browner
and
a
little
bit
poor
and
for
young
people
from
disenfranchised
communities.
So
this
is
not
unique
to
Philadelphia
and.
G
My
crystal
ball
has
been
kind
of
cloudy
in
the
last
year,
so
but
I
believe
I
believe
there
is
an
opportunity
to
do
something:
I'm,
not
necessarily
sure,
if
it's
going
to
be
everything,
okay,
I'm
that
we
want,
but
as
a
seasoned
legislator,
you
yourself,
you
understand
that.
Sometimes
you
take
the
bite
of
the
app
that
you
can
get.
E
G
K
You
very
much
chair
and
thank
you
very
much
representative
for
your
testimony
and
all
the
work
you've
been
doing
on
justice
issues,
and
that
includes
you
know.
Certainly
the
issue.
That's
before
us
today.
I
had
a
couple
of
questions.
One
was
you
know
one
of
the
things
the
district
has
been
doing
and
I.
K
Definitely
you
know
I'm,
sorry
for
and
both
acknowledged
the
experience
that
you've
had
as
a
young
man
in
the
schools
and
continue
to
see
with
a
you
know
like
more
inquisitive
and
spirited
students
who
are
you
know,
wanting
to
engage
in
the
process,
but
we
also
have
a
lot
of
young
people
in
our
schools
who
desperately
need
supports.
They
do
have
a
lot
of
issues
that
are
going
on
at
home.
K
We
are
tracking
like,
for
example,
the
impact
of
massive
Ixion's
of
upon
young
people
and
a
real
evisceration
of
support
services
that
have
traditionally
been
in
schools.
You
know,
obviously
the
state
ourselves.
All
of
us
have
a
role
to
play
around
a
lot
of
that,
so
the
school
district,
just
just
for
clarity,
a
little
bit
has
done
a
tremendous
amount
of
work.
We
put
nurses
and
counselors
in
every
school.
K
Maybe
they
need
help
too,
and
a
lot
of
these
cases,
and
certainly
the
families
have
definitely
come
to
us
struggling
with
support
issues,
behavioral
issues
that
they
cannot
access
external
to
the
school.
So
you
know
a
couple
of
things
that
we
I'd
be
interested
in.
Do
you
think
that
there's
anything
that
could
move
at
the
state
level
that
would
prioritize
mental
and
behavioral
support
services
going
into
schools?
K
The
good
thing
about
this
is
that
it
doesn't
necessarily
have
to
go
through
the
education
department,
where
people
you
know
can
have
a
lot
of
questions
or
issues
a
lot
of
it.
For
example,
the
nurses
are
paid
for
through
the
Health
Department
of
the
state,
so
the
district
itself
mandated
one
nurse
in
every
public
school.
I
know
it
would
mean
a
lot
if
we
could
reduce
the
ratio
that
happens,
for
example,
at
the
state
level
1
to
1500.
If
it
went
down
to
1
to
750.
That
gives
the
school
district
a
lot
more
supports.
K
K
The
counselor
ratio
has
to
be
one
you
know
250
or
which
is
one
of
the
recommended
things
by
the
National
Association
of
counselors
or,
if
even
you
wanted
to
put
it
1
to
500,
it
would
be
better
than
what
we
currently
have,
but
I'm,
also
interested
in,
and
those
things
can
only
move
at
the
state
level.
That's
actually
not
something
that
we
could
do,
but
are
there
any
other
areas
that
we
could
look
at?
That
might
help
the
district
access,
more
resources
for
their
behavioral
and
support
needs
for
both
children
and
their
families.
Sure.
G
G
As
a
former
teacher,
you
know,
that's
just
a
bad
kid
and
we
have
to
change
that
mindset
that
there
aren't
and
that
there
could
be
a
lot
of
different
things
in
play
when
a
child
is
having
issues
particularly
behavior
issues
in
class,
when
I
was
in
a
classroom.
I
remember
one
young
man
in
particular.
Who
was
you
know
having
some
difficulties
with
behavior
and
what
I
found
out
that
you
know
one
he
wasn't
doing
his
homework.
G
He
was
kind
of
acting
kind
of
having
some
difficulties
in
class
and
I
found
out
that
his
electricity
was
off
in
his
house
and
that
he
was
trying
to
do
his
homework.
You
know
as
the
lights
were,
you
know,
as
the
daylight
was
still
there,
but
that
he
had.
You
know
four
or
five
brothers
and
sisters
and
a
house
and
a
whole
lot
of
responsibilities.
I
think
we
have
to
start
from
that
place,
understanding
those
things
about
our
young
people
from
a
financial
perspective.
G
In
the
last
few
years
we
did
do
the
soda
cigarette
tax
on
a
state
level
and,
in
addition
to
the
cigarette
tax,
we
put
language
in
that
I
believe
it's
58
million
dollars
that,
regardless
of
what
the
district
raises
from
the
cigarette
tax,
there's
a
there's
a
floor
of
what
what
the
school
district
must
get
and
I
know.
A
lot
of
those
resources
went
to
putting
more
nurses
in
schools
and
things
of
that
nature.
G
I
do
believe
that
there
is
room,
particularly
as
we
deal
with
the
opioid
epidemic
in
the
opioid
crisis,
that
we
should
be
having
conversations
should
be
having
conversations
around
how
opioids
affect
children,
and
if
we
have
those
conversations,
we
could
possibly
talk
about
additional
funding
for
young
people
who
are
affected
by
parents
who
are
part
of
this.
This
opioid
crisis
I
think
that
would
be
a
creative
way
to
get
additional
resources
to
schools
that
can
then
hire
more
clinicians
to
be
inside
of
our
schools
to
deal
with
it.
G
In
addition
to
that,
I
would
I
would
I
would
be
more
than
supportive
of
legislation
to
work
on
a
ratio
for
counselors
with
students,
and
you
know
we
could
have
a
conversation
on
what
that
number
should
be.
I
would
love
to
work
together
on
that
to
see
what
we
can
do.
I
will
say
this.
The
last
thing
I'll
say
about
finances
is
at
some
point
in
time.
G
Harrisburg
is
gonna
have
to
raise
real
revenue.
This
year's
budget
was
put
together
with
tape
and
bubble
gum
and
at
some
point
in
time
that
will
fall
apart
and
we're
gonna
have
to
raise
real
revenue.
My
suggestion
would
be
that
we
begin
to
put
together
the
things
that
are
important
to
us,
particularly
our
education
funding,
so
that
when
the
time
comes,
when
the
revenue
is
raised,
we
can
have
what
we
believe
is
necessary
for
our
young
people
and
your
schools.
Thank.
K
You
I
really
agree
with
that,
and
you
know.
Thank
you
very
much.
I
would
love
to
be
able
to
talk
with
your
office
more
about
the
counselor
ratios
in
particular,
but
thank
you
very
much
and
you
know
again,
I
agree
with
you
that
it's
very
difficult
to
have
this
conversation
about
our
young
people
if
we
Center
it
in
just
on
schools,
ends
and.
D
K
On
how
much
it's
gonna
cost
I
think
it's
more
about
like
what
do
our
young
people
need?
What
do
we
know?
Our
schools
do
better
I
misspoke
earlier?
What
I
meant
to
say
was
that
the
social
workers
we
have.
We
had
a
number
of
doubling
the
number
of
social
workers
in
schools
that
came
through
cbh
and
their
community
behavioral
health
programs,
so
I
know
that
there's
potentially
other
forms
that
we
can
access
that
take
us
out
of
the
mentality
like.
Oh,
it's
just
got
to
be
more
money
for
Philadelphia
schools.
K
We
know
that
if
we
can
help
young
people
with
and
their
families
with
evictions,
with
kind
of
the
cycle
of
you
know,
upheaval
and
chaos
that
can
kind
that
can
happen
in
the
lives
of
young
people
and
that
we
can
do
it
in
ways
that
are
around
the
idea
that
we're
serving
a
whole
child,
we're
not
we're,
also
educating
them.
That
is
the
most
important
priority,
but
we're
serving
a
whole
child
and
their
family
and
there's
enormous
opportunities
to
do
it.
We
don't
have
to
just
draw
down
on
Education
dollars
to
do
it.
K
G
Would
love
to
do
it?
One
of
the
things
I
would
say
is
that
I
no
longer
take
the
answer
that
we
can't
afford
to
do
it.
My
answer
is
we
can't
afford
not
to
and
I
think
that's
how
we
have
to
look
at
it
when
we're
talking
about
funding
I
think
the
best
approach
would
definitely
be
to
look
at
what
a
statewide
bucket
of
dollars
would
be
for
social
workers
in
educational
environments
and
not
necessarily
focused
on
Philadelphia,
but
we
could
do
it
around.
G
A
Thank
you
both
for
what
you've
said.
I
recently
read
the
2017
book
by
Molefi
of
Sante
and
entitled
revolutionary
pedagogy,
and
he
talked
about
the
fact
that,
as
we
want
to
retrain
young
people,
we
need
to
retrain
teachers,
which
is
what
you're
also
saying
that's
part
of
the
issue
as
well.
If
we
want
to
see
change,
Councilwoman
Reynolds
Brown
did
you
have
a
comment?
A
D
D
Like
to
thank
him
for
his
words
and
his
support
of
the
school
district
and
his
passion
for
this
very
important
issue,
which
involves
young
children,
who
I
think
we
all
agree
that
for
reasons
that
go
far
beyond
themselves,
they
are
having
an
experience
that
very
frequently
stays
with
them
for
their
lives.
As
the
council
member
sheridan
is
certainly
representative.
Harris
has
shared
today
and
on
other
occasions,
many
are
personally
involved
have
had
the
personal
experience
in
the
states
with
them.
So
I
do
want
to
thank
him
for
his
support
of
the
district.
D
His
willingness
to
look
at
the
ratios
that
in
some
instances,
have
not
been
changed
for
20
or
30
years
and
at
the
state
level,
could
use
a
revision
for
the
record.
My
name
is
Karen
Lynch
I'm,
the
chief
of
student
support
services
with
the
School
District
of
Philadelphia,
and
today
I'm
extremely
pleased
that
I'm
joined
by
my
colleague,
another
administrator
top
administrator
with
the
school
district.
This
is
dr.
D
Tanya
Wolford,
who
is
the
chief
of
the
performance
management
office
and
she's,
going
to
share
data
points
and
performance
information
with
you
that
I
think
that
you
will
find
very
helpful
and
give
you
a
much
better
sense
of
the
direction
in
which
the
district
is
moving.
We
have
had
progress
in
this
regard
in
regard
to
punitive
discipline
and
reducing
the
punitive
discipline
of
students.
She's
also
going
to
talk
to
you
about
a
recent
study
that
was
in
fact
announce
the
results
announced
today
that
highlights
this
is
an
independent
study
not
conducted
by
the
school
district.
D
That
highlights
the
distinctions
in
the
types
of
schools
that
we
have,
where
the
relationships
and
the
contacts
and
the
tone
tenor
and
climate
of
the
school
make
up
an
impact.
The
likelihood
of
whether
or
not
there's
going
to
be
punitive
discipline
in
those
goals
and
so
I
think
you
will
find
that
information
very,
very
informative
and
informational.
D
We
here
we're
here
to
speak
about
the
school
districts
of
Philadelphia
and
to
support
eliminating
suspensions
of
students,
representative
Harris,
eliminating
suspension
of
students
immediately
or
in
at
the
end
of
this
year.
Kindergarten
through
2nd
grade,
certainly-
and
we
do
see
the
numbers
of
all
suspensions
in
general,
K
through
5
and
as
well
to
say
a
few
words
about
our
collective
process
to
date
and
as
I
shared
I.
Don't
think
that
there's
been
very
much
that
has
been
said
this
day
that
we
disagree
with.
We
support
the
the
need
to
reduce
and
eliminate.
D
D
So
just
like
others.
Here
today,
we
strongly
disagree
with
punitive
discipline
for
our
youngest
learners,
as
we
said
earlier,
many
of
whom
are
still
wearing
that
that
that
meant
costumes
to
school
or
spider-man,
spider-man
costumes
to
school
and
really
don't
understand
what
it
means
when
they're
sent
home
and
when
they're
sitting
at
home
and
they're
not
able
to
participate
in
what
they're
really
excited
about
doing
and
that
is
going
to
school.
D
We
know
that
there
are
better
ways
than
suspension
and
and
giving
the
child
the
label
of
a
bad
child
or
sending
a
child
to
the
bad
room
or
shaming
a
child,
and
none
of
these
things
are
going
to
result
in
better
behavior.
We
also
know
for
many
of
our
students.
Their
behavior
in
school
is
more
indicative
of
other
issues,
trauma
pain,
mental
illness,
the
impact
of
mental
illness
and
their
homes,
negative
and
lasting
impact
of
living
in
the
uncertainty
of
poverty
that
many
of
our
children
here
in
Philadelphia
are
experiencing.
D
D
We
recognize
that
there
are
others
who
feel
somewhat
differently
about
it,
but
for
many
reasons
you
know
this
is
the
reason
that
we
eliminated
kindergarten
suspensions
last
year
and
that
we
are
we've
implemented,
ensuring
that
children
in
first
through
a
second
before
there
can
be
any
thought
about
suspensions
this
year,
they're
receiving
supportive
services,
our
social
workers
at
night,
our
social
workers,
our
counselors,
are
really
gearing
up
for.
What's
going
to
happen
next
year,
which
is
going
to
be
the
elimination
our
teachers
are
getting.
D
A
E
A
D
This
year
we
said
to
all
of
our
school
leaders
our
schools
staff
that,
at
the
end
of
this
year,
suspensions
will
be
eliminated
for
first
and
second
graders,
so
that
at
the
end
of
this
year,
K
through
2nd
grade
will
be
eliminated
eliminated
suspensions.
We
said
this
year.
There
will
be
supportive
services
to
any
child
first
grade,
second
grade
that
a
principal
or
school
staff
are
considering
for
suspension.
D
Last
year
we
found
at
the
end
of
the
year
throughout
the
year
we
monitored
at
the
end
of
the
year.
We
looked
at
our
numbers
and
we
saw
that
kindergarteners
despite
the
fact
that
kindergarten
suspensions
were
eliminated,
kindergarteners
were
still
being
suspended
this
year.
We
are
definitely
working
more
closely
with
all
of
principals
and
school
leaders
to
ensure
that
that's
not
happening
and
that
we
are
ensuring
that
the
students
that
they
are
interacting
with
that
they
think
should
be
suspended
also
receiving
supportive
services.
If.
D
That's
exactly
I
mean
that's
exactly
the
point,
and
that's
the
point
really
of
these
here
at
the
of
the
hearings
right.
So
what
we
have
done
is
contacted
the
school
leader
we
have
well.
The
good
news
is
that
they're
reporting
it
because,
if
they're
not
reporting
it
we're
not
going
to
find
out
that
it's
happening.
So
that
is
the
good
news
that
they
are
reporting
it
and
we
don't
want
to
stop
them
from
reporting.
We
want
to
stop
them
from
suspending,
and
so
what
do
we
do?
D
We
go
into
the
schools
and
we
provide
supportive
services.
We
investigate
the
circumstances
involving
the
student
that
has
been
suspended.
We
bring
in
parents,
we're
also
educating
our
parents
about
what
our
policies
and
practices
are
and
that
their
children
should
not
be
suspended,
and
so
we
need
parents
as
well
to
become
actively
involved.
We
need
parents
to
push
back
as
well.
D
D
Where
last
year
we
saw
an
increase
in,
or
we
actually
saw,
schools
were
suspending
students
in
kindergarten,
and
so
we
want
to
be
able
to
have
an
additional
support
in
those
schools,
so
that
there's
someone
who
can
go
into
the
home
who
can
see
what
some
of
the
issues
might
be?
Who
can
work
with
parents,
particularly
young
parents,
and
who
can
coordinate
the
supportive
services
throughout
the
community
in
order
to
ensure
better
opportunities
for
the
student
to
engage
within
the
school
in
a
way
that
is
not
disruptive
that
could
potentially
lead
to
punitive
experience.
D
D
We
work
very
very
closely,
in
fact,
I
think
we're
experiencing
right
now,
a
really
great
relationship
with
the
Department
of
Human
Services,
the
work
that
we
have
been
doing
with
PBIS
and
other
supports,
particularly
the
training
on
trauma-informed
care
that
has
been
offered
to
our
school-based
staff,
has
been
funded.
I
would
say
90%
of
the
time
by
outside
dollars,
we've
had
funding
from
the
Philadelphia
foundation
from
the
federal
government,
that's
paid
for
our
PBIS
coaches
and
our
PBIS
implementation
for
restorative
practices,
and
so
on.
It's
mostly
been
funded
from
outside.
So.
A
D
They
know
about
about
the
paulus
yeah.
Everyone
knows
about
the
policy
changes.
We've
received,
support
from
our
teachers
union
for
implementation
of
supports
within
the
school
district
to
ensure
that
teachers
are
most
prepared.
It's
been
written
into
their
most
recent
contract,
that's
how
supportive
they
are
and
how
much
they
recognize.
The
need
they're
all
well
aware
that
we're
moving
forward
with
the
elimination
of
suspensions,
I.
D
No,
no,
no,
not
at
all
okay,
so
this
work
is
not
done
easily.
The
climate
and
the
culture
and
the
relationships
in
a
school
tell
a
great
deal
about
how
student
behavior
will
be
managed.
Dr.
Wolford
is
going
to
share
a
little
bit
about
that
in
another
couple
of
minutes.
The
actions
taken
by
the
School
District
of
Philadelphia
to
improve
school
climate
to
reduce
suspension
discipline
problems
in
schools
include
the
following:
we've
expanded
our
PBIS
services
within
schools
and
delivered
the
framework
meant
to
nearly
50
schools.
D
Five-Six
years
ago,
six
years
ago,
yeah,
as
you
said,
my
University.
When
we
arrived
there
weren't
any
schools
that
had
were
implementing
PBIS
with
fidelity
and
shifting
filipe
shifting
focus
to
use
more
comprehensive
data
on
suspensions
and
to
gather
it
so
that
principals,
teachers
and
district
staff
have
more
detailed
and
timely
information
on
the
types
of
suspensions
in
order
to
be
able
to
intervene
and
intervene
more
quickly
than
in
the
past.
D
A
Thank
you
it's
so
important,
because
if
you
have
maybe
some
weak
parents
and
you
keep
suspending
a
kindergartener
they'll,
just
keep
them
out
and
then
the
child
loses
out
in
more
ways
than
one.
This
is
very
important,
Miriam
very
important,
I'm
glad
Councilwoman,
Reynolds
Brown
came
up
with
this
issue
for
us
to
have
a
public
hearing.
It's
an
important
issue.
Thank
you.
J
First
I'm
gonna
actually
go
over
some
of
our
current
data
relative
to
suspensions
and
then
I'm
going
to
talk
about
our
efforts
to
improve
quality
and
access
to
suspension
data
and,
finally,
I'm
going
to
talk
a
little
bit
about
the
external
study
that
karen
lynch
referenced.
That
is
just
concluding
with
our
research
partners
at
the
consortium
for
education,
research
at
the
University
of
Pennsylvania
in
2015-16,
5305
805
students
were
suspended
and
they
were
collectively
not
many
again.
B
J
J
J
In
both
years,
approximately
77%
of
the
suspensions
were
given
to
African
American
students
and
that's
detailed
in
table
2
and
approximately
76
percent
of
suspensions
involved.
Males.
So
to
the
point
that
representative
Harris
brought
up
in
terms
of
the
disproportionality
is
definitely
there
and
it's
been
consistently
there
for
for
many
years
in
the
three
networks,
with
the
highest
percentages
of
suspensions
in
grade
k25,
the
rates
vary
greatly
by
school.
J
So
there
was
a
preliminary
question
around
if
there's
a
concentration
but,
for
instance,
in
those
three
networks,
they've
arranged
in
one
school,
where
28%
of
students
have
at
least
one
suspension
and
in
another
school
zero
students
are
suspended.
So
it
varies
greatly
by
school,
even
in
the
same
network
across
the
district.
J
Now,
I'm
also
going
to
share
then
a
little
bit
about
this
data
in
the
context
of
the
district's
performance
management
framework.
So
we
employ
an
approach
to
climate,
that's
dependent
on
the
regular
review
of
evidence
and
a
continuous
improvement
cycle,
and
in
order
to
support
the
climate
initiatives
and
the
implementation
of
PBIS,
the
new
code
of
conduct
across
the
district.
J
And
what
you
can't
see
here,
that's
in
the
interactive
sure
of
the
dashboards
is
that
you
can
look
at
the
district
level.
You
can
look
at
the
network
level.
You
can
look
at
the
city
council
district
level.
Actually
you
can
look
at
the
school.
The
grade,
and
even
at
student
groups
to
disaggregate
the
data
so
the
attached
you
can
see
the
attached
sample
for
one
of
the
views,
that's
the
main
one
that
has
the
four
graphs
on
it
and
on
this
page
leadership,
principals
assistant
principals.
J
They
can
log
in
and
look
at
attendance,
truancy,
suspensions
and
serious
incidents
together,
drilling
down
to
those
levels
that
I
mentioned
that
I
just
mentioned,
and
that
second
sheet,
you
can
see
how
we
can
blow
up
the
smaller
figures
and
expand
them
to
show
more
detail.
So
on
that.
Second,
one,
you
have
the
percentages
of
students
by
number
of
suspensions
in
September
for
2017.
J
J
Let's
see
so,
each
of
the
figures
on
the
first
sheet
have
supporting
details
also,
so
there
are
many
other
sheets
in
these
dashboards
so
that
everyone
can
access
and
see
additional
information.
They
can
see
the
numbers
of
students
that
are
suspended,
the
number
of
suspensions
that
they
have
if
those
suspensions
are
aligned
with
the
code
of
conduct
or,
if
they're
not
aligned
with
the
code
of
conduct,
and
they
can
also
see
how
many
days
students
were
suspended
for
those
infractions.
J
The
data
is
updated
monthly
and
when
we
rolled
it
out
this
summer
we
began
a
series
of
training
specifically
focused
on
accessing
the
data
and
using
it
to
make
changes
in
programming
and
implementation.
So
this
has
involved
sessions
with
district
cabinet
with
assistant
Supes
with
all
principals
and
all
assistant
principals
sessions
were
held
over
three
days
in
August
and
over
two
days
in
October,
and
we're
going
to
have
another
two
days
in
December,
where
this
data
and
looking
at
this
data
is
at
the
forefront
of
the
activities
with
the
trainings.
J
So,
lastly,
I
want
to
share
information
on
the
study.
That's
also
supporting
our
continuous
improvement
approach
to
school
climate
and
that's
a
new
report
that
highlights
findings
from
a
two-year
research
study
on
the
Disciplinary
practices
and
climate
of
K
to
eight
schools
in
the
school
district.
We
partnered
with
dr.
Abigail
gray
at
the
consortium
for
policy
research
and
education
at
the
University
of
Pennsylvania
to
conduct
the
study
of
discipline
practices,
and
this
was
in
the
context
of
the
new
code
of
conduct
and
the
beginning
of
multi-year
PBIS
implementation.
J
So
the
study
was
two
years
it
just
ended.
We
wrote
the
study,
many
we
wrote
the
proposal
many
years
ago.
Then
it
took
a
year
to
be
approved,
so
this
has
been
something
that
has
been
unfolding
in
tandem
with
the
efforts
that
Karen
Lynch
was
mentioning.
So
the
study
is
called
discipline
in
context,
suspension,
climate
and
PBIS
in
the
school
district
or
disco.
J
For
short,
and
in
that
researchers
revealed
that
SDB
schools
are
making
efforts
to
reduce
suspensions
and
improve
climate,
but
pretty
critical
barriers
to
these
efforts
include
resource
limitations
and
philosophical
misalignments
between
teachers
and
school
leaders.
So
it
was
a
mixed
method.
Study
that
involved
interviews,
observations,
survey,
data
as
well
as
looking
at
student
outcome
data
further.
J
The
study
identified
three
profiles
among
SDP
k-8
schools
based
on
information
about
disciplinary
practices,
and
they
found
that
these
profiles
are
predictive
of
suspension
and
academic
outcomes
and
so
I'm
going
to
just
briefly
mention
them,
because
I
think
they
underscore
some
of
the
complexity
around
making
changes
in
this
area
profile
one.
They
characterized
as
reactive
and
autonomous
and
schools
in
this
profile
relied
on
punitive
and
exclusionary
disciplinary
responses.
J
To
maintain
order,
staff
tended
to
express
the
belief
that
out-of-school
suspensions
are
an
important
means
of
keeping
control
in
the
school
and
of
protecting
non-disruptive
students
from
others.
Misbehavior,
and
that's
something
you
generally
hear
in
terms
of
when
people
are
advocating
for
suspensions
profile
is
under-resourced
in
non-cohesive
schools
and
in
those
settings
profile
experiencing
staff.
They
experience
staffing
and
resource
shortages
more
profoundly
than
others.
J
There
was
low
morale
under
the
among
the
staff,
and
then
teachers
reported
little
collaboration
around
discipline
and,
really
importantly,
they
felt
blamed
when
their
students,
misbehaved
and
finally
profile
3,
which
is
the
one
that
we're
hoping
to
drive
towards,
is
the
collaborative
and
relational
profile
and
in
these
schools.
It's
characterized
by
collaborative
approaches
to
discipline,
including
frequent
student
teacher
conferences,
as
well
as
the
use
of
many
non
punitive
practices.
Morale
is
high
in
these
schools.
Teachers
feel
supported
by
their
administration.
J
Even
more
importantly
than
this
deep
dive
that
they
did,
they
do
offer
a
series
of
concrete
recommendations
for
strengthening
the
implementation
of
the
climate
efforts
around
the
district,
including
PPI
PBIS.
And
while
this
study
was
unfolding,
they
wrote
for
another
grant
to
continue
to
support
implementing
these
changes
so
to
try
to
expand
the
collaborative
and
relational
approach,
as
opposed
to
the
reactive
and
autonomous
at
the
other
extreme.
J
So
this
supplemental
grant
starts
in
spring
2018
and
it's
to
enhance
the
multi-phase
PBIS
model
and
address
challenges
in
the
district
context
and
I
also
want
to
mention,
then,
that
the
principal
investigator
who
led
the
initial
study
who's
involved
in
the
next
one,
dr.
gray,
she
recently
received
a
stone
leaf
fellowship
to
expand
her
support
of
the
district.
So
she'll
be
working
more
closely
with
us
for
most
of
her
time
really
between
the
study
and
that
work
starting.
This
fall.
J
K
Thank
you
very
much
so
I
appreciate
this
work,
and,
and
data
and
study
I
mean
one
of
the
things
that
I
know
having
dealt
with
schools
that
have
really
struggled
tremendously
around
school
violence
and
sort
of
breaking
the
challenge,
especially
to
break
out
of
the
culture
to
respond
quickly
and
in
an
emergency
kind
of
situation.
Is
that
a
lot
of
these
decisions?
I
mean
you
know?
The
dysfunction
in
our
schools
is
not
really
made
out
of
440
or
out
of
you
know,
even
the
principal's
office.
K
But
the
challenge
that
we've
got
given
the
just
stunningly
disproportionate
impact
on
vulnerable
populations,
and
especially
black
students,
our
special
education
students
and
those
who
struggle
around
even
just
active.
You
know
accessing
the
resources
that
should
be
in
schools.
What
do
you
think
I
mean?
K
So
what
exactly
or
could
you
share
a
little
bit
more
about
what
you're
doing,
because
I
think
the
I
think
the
data
is
very
enlightening
and
helpful,
but
at
the
risk
of
not
doing
like
a
significant
level
of
working
within
schools
to
to
not
only
tell
them
what's
going
wrong,
but
to
like
actually
retrain
around
some
of
the
restorative
justice
practices.
The
I
know
we
have
PBIS
going,
but
what
and
argue
monitoring
those
particular
schools
that
you're
partnering
with
to
see
whether
there's
notable
changes
once
you
go
in
and
do
all
these
trainings
thank.
D
You
for
the
question,
so
you
know
I
think
this
particular
year
I'll
share
with
you
some
of
the
things
that
we're
doing
because
we're
taking
a
new
approach
with
regard
to
the
convenient
we
start
in
August
with
our
principals
and
as
our
school-based
staff
begin
to
return.
So
this
particular
year,
the
design
of
our
convening
was
really
based
on
data
learning,
how
to
and
teaching
our
school
leaders
how
to.
D
Become
most
familiar
with
reading
analyzing
data.
At
the
same
time,
we
were
working
with
our
climate
staff.
We
had
five
days
with
our
climate
staff
this
year,
so
our
climate
managers
and
our
climate
support
staff
came
in
and
that
particular
group
of
people
learned
about
conflict
resolution
PBIS
how
to
implement
and
participate
in
group
meetings.
Our
principles
learned
how
to
develop
leadership
teams
and
those
who
did
it
well
have
the
opportunity
to
share
with
others
how
to
do
it
better.
D
When
you
talk
about
relationship
building
and
how
people
interact
at
the
school
level,
one
of
the
first
things-
that's
absolutely
incredibly
important-
is
relationship
building.
Our
principals
were
asked
to
develop
a
list
of
and
to
hear
from
us
a
list
of
efforts
that
they
would
initiate
for
the
first
six
weeks
of
the
school
year,
so
that
there's
more
continuity,
there's
more
communication.
D
One
of
the
items
on
the
first
six
list:
six
weeks
less
impact,
was
establishing
your
leadership
team,
who
are
the
people
that
are
going
to
be
your
contact,
people
for
bullying
and
harassment,
who's
going
to
be
the
person
that
is
going
to
establish
the
mentoring
groups
within
your
schools.
That
was
the
first
convening
in
August
in
the
second,
what
we
call
professional
development
or
our
benchmarking
analytics
and
management
session
that
took
place
in
October
and
they're
going
to
happen
every
other
month.
Principals
assistant
principals
could
bring
their
a
member
of
their
team.
D
Many
brought
their
counselors
some
bought
their
lead
teachers
so
that
they
are
all
hearing
the
same
common
message
and
at
that
discussion
for
two
days,
principals
received
background
and
disproportionality.
Looking
at
your
numbers,
are
you
who's
taking
your
AP
classes?
What
does
your
discipline
look
like?
Do
you
see
disproportionality
in
who's
in
what
courses
or
who's
receiving
what
discipline
or
what
children
are
receiving
other
services
disproportionately?
D
They
had
a
chance
to
do
that.
They
had
a
chance
to
participate
in
just
a
what
we
call
a
fishbowl
which
is
really
a
role-playing,
so
they
could
see
and
hear
from
others
in
a
similar
situation.
How
to
respond
and
how
to
engage
fish.
Both
could
have
been
a
topic
where
you're
engaging
with
a
student
to
is
having
ongoing
challenges
and
needs,
and
how
collectively
are
we
going
to
address
them?
The
fishbowl
also
looked
at
here's
the
data
for
your
school.
What
are
some
of
the
solutions?
D
Each
of
the
individuals
that
had
different
roles
were
able
to
participate
the
series
of
different
training
opportunities
and
professional
opportunities.
I'm
sharing
with
you
provide
an
opportunity
not
just
for
developing
relationships,
but
also
giving
our
school-based
staff
common
ways
to
look
at
similar
problems
and
resolutions,
giving
them
opportunities
for
how
to
intervene
and
certainly
conveying
the
message
and
repeatedly
conveying
the
message
about
what
the
expectations
and
goals
are
for
the
school
year
without
helpful
yeah.
K
K
Obviously
one
of
the
things
that's
amazing
about
the
ban
on
kindergarten
suspensions
is
that
it
largely
worked
when
we
had
hundreds
and
hundreds
of
suspensions
go
out
as
soon
as
the
ban
got
implemented,
the
the
numbers
plummeted
right
to
a
fraction,
10%
I
think
we're
still
working
on
why
we
still
have
the
few
dozen
that
we
have,
and
so
you
know,
as
we
take
a
look
at
the
first
and
second
grade
ban,
which
you
said
will
go
into
effect
in
September
2018.
Is
that
correct?
K
D
K
So
the
ban
will
go
into
a
place
in
September
2018.
You
know.
Our
hope
is
that
we're
gonna
see
the
same
drop-off,
but
I
am
very
cognizant
of
the
struggle
that
so
many
you
know,
teachers
are
dealing
with
that.
You
know
they
lean
on
crutches.
They
lean
on
the
easiest
thing
that
can
happen
in
high-stress
circumstances,
and
you
know
it
helps
to
as
as
we're
looking
at
data
and
numbers
that
really
what
we're
also
trying
to
measure
is
the
positive
aspects
of
climate
that
can
occur
so
I
would
be
interested
in
talking
to
you.
K
A
little
further
about
is
the
district
measuring
like
positive
aspects
of
climate
that
are
defined
in
particular
ways
either
quantitatively,
which
you
know
can
be
done
or
qualitatively,
including
like
interviews
and
surveys
of
your
school
staff.
Do
they
feel
like
they
have
better
alternatives?
Are
they
making
better
decisions?
Do
they
feel
like
it's
a
better
you
know
like?
Does
the
does
the
for?
Does
the
climate
of
the
school
make
them
feel
more
professional
when
they
get
angry
or
when
dealing
with
a
particularly
stressful
situation?
K
Do
they
feel
like
I'm,
making
better
choices
so
I'm
always
interested
not
only
in
data
that
kind
of
tracks
just
quantitatively?
Are
we
doing
you
know
this
or
that
based
on
all
these,
you
know,
or
we
do
are
we
are
we
tracking
the
numbers
on
suspensions,
which
I
think
it's
very
critical,
but
are
we
also
working
in
positive
measures
so
that
we
are
tracking
whether
teachers
feel
like
they're,
more
professionally
able
to
handle
high-stress
circumstances
and
they
have
more
resources
at
their
disposal?
So.
D
I'm
gonna
let
dr.
Wolford
speak
about
the
survey
that's
conducted
annually,
which
captures
feedback
and
input
from
the
stup
from
our
students,
from
our
families,
from
our
principals
and
from
our
teachers,
but
in
advance
of
that
I'm
going
to
well
I'm
going
to
share
with
you
know
that
the
elimination
of
suspensions
and
kindergarten,
the
reduction
that
we
experienced
happened
in
part
because
of
eliminating
suspensions.
But
it
also
happened
because
we
were.
D
We
were
at
a
point
in
the
development
of
our
plan,
where
we
knew
where
the
focus
had
to
be
we'd
provide
a
training
where
it
needed
to
be.
We
learned
in
that
year
that
we
had
not
provided
enough
training
or
enough
support,
which
was
one
of
the
reasons
why
we
continue
to
see
in
certain
schools
and
I
think
the
study
that's
been
conducted
really
highlights
the
fact
that
our
work
is
in
certain
schools
right
now
and
then
other
schools.
It's
not
nearly
an
issue,
so
it
it
takes.
D
It
can't
just
happen.
I,
don't
think
in
fact,
I
know
I'm
just
by
the
elimination.
It's
a
huge
amount
of
support
that
has
to
go
along
with
it
and
I.
Think.
We've
all
been
talking
about
the
supports
that
need
to
happen,
but
I'm
gonna.
Let
her
talk
just
a
little
bit
about
the
survey
and
where
we
get
actual
data
on
the
opinions
and
the
position
that
our
school-based
staff
experience.
K
One
last
question
that
I
have
is
given
the
fact
that
we
have
seen
some
levels
of
implicit
bias
and
other
types
of
things
has
the
district
considered,
eliminating
the
the
use
of
suspensions
in
access
to
educational
opportunities.
So,
for
example,
would
you
consider
eliminating
the
data
the
students
record
on
suspensions
in
terms
of
being
able
to
access
like
a
gifted
program
or
a
magnet
school,
or
anything
like
that
in
part,
because
I
think
some
of
the
data
is
indicating
that
there
might
be
significant
amounts
of
implicit
bias
because
of
the
issue
of
highly
segregated
schools.
K
D
I
would
highlight
that
just
recently
for
four
of
our
five
CTE
programs,
and
probably
before
we
did
in
fact
eliminate
the
criteria
of
behavior
attendance
and
grades
for
those
two,
those
three
those
four
citywide
admit
schools.
So,
yes,
the
answer
to
the
question
is
yes,
we
have
done
that
and
we've
learned
a
lot
in
the
process
and
I
think
we're
going
to
learn
a
lot
through
this
school
selection
process
which,
by
the
way,
ends
on
November
13th
about
how
to
do
this
and
under
what
circumstances.
To
do
this?
D
K
I
mean
I
still
like
to
push
the
idea
about
suspensions
because
again,
if
we're
indicating
and
showing
that
they
can
often
be
the
result
of
lack
of
training
on
teachers,
aspects
or
lack
of
resources
more
than
it
does
like
a
student's
ability
to
function
in
school
and
I'm,
not
excusing
any
levels
of
behavior
I
have
been
a
teacher.
All
three
of
us
have
been
teachers,
but
but
I
think
it's
an
interesting
question.
I
think
that
I
appreciate
what
was
done
in
CTE.
K
We
definitely
celebrated
that,
but
students
are
you
know,
applying
to
like
magnet
schools
and
gifted
programs
and
other
educational
access
opportunities
and
are
frequently
denied
them
because
of
their
disciplinary
records,
specifically
around
suspensions.
So
if
there
is
reconsideration
of
suspensions
as
a
very
tool,
would
you
know-
and
you
don't
have
to
answer
it
entirely
right
now,
but
I
would
like
for
there
to
be
consideration
of
suspensions
as
being
drawing
back
from
them
as
a
level
of
access
for
young
people
to
access
greater
opportunities.
So.
D
I'm
the
last
thing
I'll
say
about
that.
Is
that
I'm
not
certain
that
it's
widely
known,
but
it
would
be
if,
if
a
student
does
have
suspensions,
it
would
be
if
they're
trying
to
enter
a
high
school
it
would
be
for
the
seventh
grade.
Would
I
mean
it?
Would
it
would
only
be
for
that
year
that
the
process
even
looks
at
what
happens
there?
D
K
D
E
So
I
need
to
underscore
that
be
I'm
deeply
encouraged
to
learn
that
suspensions
are
no
longer
a
conversation
for
kindergarteners,
that's
great
news
and
to
know
that
you're
moving
incremental
II
for
that
same
practice
to
apply
for
surf
first
and
second
graders
is
encouraging
as
well
just
be
well
advised
that
parents
do
contact
us.
Teachers
do
contact
us.
Retired
teachers
call
us
when
they
see
an
incongruence
and
what
we
are
told
here
on
the
record
and
then
what
we
learn
from
those
who
living
that
circumstance
on
a
daily
basis.
E
D
E
L
D
E
A
C
A
C
Good
afternoon
my
name
is
Eva
Lise,
Pilate
and
I'm,
a
staff
attorney
at
the
education
Law
Center.
Thank
you
for
allowing
me
the
privilege
of
addressing
you
today
and
for
your
attention
to
what
is
best
described
as
an
urgent,
Civil
Rights
crisis,
I
step
before
you
as
an
attorney,
but
also
as
a
black
woman
educated
in
public
schools.
I
said
before
you
as
the
proud
aunt
of
five
elementary
age,
students
being
educated
in
public
schools
and
as
the
Philadelphia
resident
invested
in
the
city's
success
standing
at
the
intersection
of
these
identities.
C
I
respectfully
urge
you
to
use
your
power
to
support
our
request
that
the
School
District
of
Philadelphia
immediately
place
a
moratorium
on
out-of-school
suspensions
for
grades
K
through
four
grades,
one
through
five,
as
you
think,
through
issues
of
local
control
and
reimagine.
How
education
in
Philadelphia
operates.
I
urge
you
to
continue
thinking
about
how
out-of-school
suspensions
serve
to
push
out
and
marginalize
the
most
vulnerable
students.
It
is
undisputed
that
students
who
have
been
suspended
are
more
likely
to
struggle
academically.
Repite
grade
become
disengaged
from
school
and
drop
out.
C
A
single
suspension
places
a
student
on
a
path
that
leads
away
from
school
and
into
various
pathways
of
combined
suspensions,
negatively
impacts,
school
climate
and,
contrary
to
popular
belief,
do
not
result
in
slavery,
schools,
a
May
2017
report
commissioned
by
the
School
District
of
Philadelphia,
analyzed
the
impact
suspensions
have
on
district
students.
The
report
which
I
have
appended
to
my
testimony,
drew
many
conclusions,
but
today
I
would
like
to
highlight
four
of
them,
which
led
to
my
characterization
of
the
problem
as
an
urgent
civil
rights
matter.
C
According
to
the
report,
one
black
students
in
the
district
are
approximately
three
times
more
likely
than
other
students
to
receive
an
out-of-school
suspension
to
the
racial
disparities
and
discipline
have
increased
every
year.
For
the
last
three
years,
three
black
students
are
generally
punished
more
harshly
than
their
white
peers
for
the
same
infractions
in
the
same
schools
and
for
the
disparities
within
six
and
Fraction
codes
are
so
statistically
significant
that
the
numbers
reveal
that
discipline
is
being
doled
out
in
a
racially
biased
and
discriminatory
fashion.
At
each
juncture,
we
can
do
better.
C
We
can
ensure
that
students
in
grades,
one
through
five,
have
meaningful
and
consistent
access
to
environments
of
learning
and
in
turn,
more
access
to
other
gateways
of
Education
and
opportunity.
Furthermore,
the
data
demonstrates
that
schools
with
higher
populations
of
black
students
routinely
issue
hundreds
of
suspensions
where
students
that
serve
higher
populations
of
white
students
rarely
issue.
Any
studies
consistently
show
that
black
students
are
not
more
prone
to
misbehavior
than
white
students,
which
means
that
there's
something
else
driving
these
vast
disparities,
the
something
else
may
be
implicit
bias.
C
Research
suggests
that
children
of
color
are
being
adult
applied.
That
is,
that
adults
view
them
as
being
older
than
they
are
in
need
of
less
nurturing
and
more
culpable
for
even
the
most
innocuous
ly,
childish
behavior.
So
too
does
inequitable,
school
funding,
player
role,
schools
and
teachers
need
more
resources
and
they
need
more
tools,
teacher
diversity
or
lack
thereof.
Also,
matters
I
could
direct
you
to
dozens
of
studies
that
give
explanations
for
why
these
problems
exists
and
the
district
will
have
to
get
to
the
root
cause
of
these
issues.
C
However,
it
is
unacceptable
to
allow
our
kids
to
continue
to
be
harmed
while
we
work
through
these
complex
institutional
issues,
the
district
previously
implemented
a
kindergarten
suspension
ban
that
drastically
no
would
lowered
the
number
of
exclusions
in
those
grades
without
chaos.
Ensuing
today,
my
colleague
from
the
district
explained
that
numbers
are
going
down
and
the
data
suggests
that
in
fact
the
numbers
have
slightly
gone
down.
C
However,
what
was
not
mentioned
is
that
the
decrease
of
numbers
disproportionately
benefits
white
students
from
2012
through
2017
suspensions,
fell
by
28%
for
black
students
across
the
district,
but
they
fell
by
42%
for
white
students
across
the
district.
This
is
about
overall
numbers,
but,
more
importantly,
it's
also
about
equity
and
justice.
Reviewing
data
is
necessary
and
it's
encouraging
to
see
a
focus
on
understanding
and
analyzing
the
data,
but
the
harm
demonstrated
by
the
data
is
not
in
dispute.
In
the
face
of
the
undisputed
harm,
wait
and
see,
we
need
more
time
give
us
another
year.
C
Attitude
is
not
a
plan,
nor
is
it
an
adequate
approach
to
solving
this
crisis.
Every
out
of
school
suspension,
Rob's
a
child
of
the
opportunity
to
learn
every
out
of
school
suspension,
lowers
the
chance
that
that
little
boy
or
girl
will
graduate
and
perhaps
go
to
law,
school
or
perhaps
run
for
office,
and
to
know
that
the
future
is
being
impacted
primarily
because
of
racial
bias
and
refusing
to
ameliorate.
These
harms
is
an
absolute
travesty.
This
is
about
our
children
and
the
future
of
our
city.
C
Both
depend
on
how
courageous
and
critical
we
are
all
willing
to
be
in
this
moment
and
future
moments
where
our
actions
can
and
will
directly
transform
the
trajectory
and
lives
of
future
generations
as
the
voice
of
philadelphians
across
the
city.
Use
three
council
play
a
vital
role
in
being
champions
for
justice.
Mlk
once
said
something
that
I
like
to
think
remains
true.
C
Today,
history
will
record
that
the
greatest
tragedy
of
this
period
of
transition
was
not
the
strident
clamor
of
the
bad
people,
but
the
appalling
silence
and
inaction
of
the
good
people
I
urge
you
to
help
us
be
on
the
right
side
of
history
and
encourage
the
input,
the
the
immediate
implementation
of
a
suspension
ban
forthwith.
Thank
you
thank.
A
You
very
important
testimony
very
important.
We
thank
you
very
much
and
we're
very,
very
grateful
that
you
came
David
Lapp
research
for
action
and
mr.
Lawry
was
education
law
center
staff
attorney
David
lat
research
for
action,
director
of
policy
research
is
Kendra,
Brooks
and
Myra.
Bohannon.
Are
you
two
here?
Okay,
you'll
be
next.
M
In
recent
years,
research
has
demonstrated
that
suspension
of
the
forms
of
exclusionary
discipline
are
largely
ineffective
at
improving
behavior
and
instead
are
highly
correlated
with
increased
risk
of
misbehavior
or
failing
grades,
dropout,
criminal
involvement
and
incarceration.
This
is
not
surprising,
as
we've
long
known,
that
school
stability
and
regular
school
attention
are
crucial
to
success
in
school.
Quite
simply,
when
students
are
excluded
from
school
through
suspensions,
they
fall
behind.
When
we
rely
on
suspension,
we're
essentially
giving
less
help
to
the
students
who
need
it.
M
The
most
meanwhile,
we've
known
that
this
use
of
suspensions
is
high
in
Philadelphia
and
in
Pennsylvania
as
a
whole.
We've
known
that
nationwide
there
have
been
troubling
disparities
by
race
and
who
receive
suspensions,
but
our
study
last
year
allows
us
now
to
know
how
much
larger
the
disparities
are
in
Pennsylvania
than
in
other
parts
of
the
country
and
that
the
disparities
are
even
larger
for
students
in
elementary
schools.
Last
year
we
published
a
report
entitled
racial
disparities
and
educational
opportunities.
M
In
our
report,
we
documented
that
racial
disparities,
disadvantaged
black
and
Hispanic
students
in
Pennsylvania
in
all
17
of
the
CR
DC
indicators
we
examined.
We
found
the
opportunity
gaps
between
white
and
black
students
and
white
and
Hispanic
students
in
Pennsylvania
were
on
average
larger
than
our
neighbors
and
in
the
region
and
as
and
then
our
neighbors
in
the
region
and
as
the
nation
as
a
whole.
M
M
M
Wolford
and
Karen
Lynch
about
the
reductions
that
have
happened
in
recent
years,
but
in
2013-14,
which
is
the
latest
CRS
DC
data,
5
percent
of
white
students
were
receiving
suspensions
and
compared
to
15
percent
of
black
students
so
again
higher
than
than
before
and
and
and
12
percent
of
black
elementary
school
students.
So
again,
these
results
they're.
Not
exactly
surprising
they're,
the
concrete
manifestation
of
toxic
combination
of
residential
segregation,
chronic
underfunding
of
our
poorest
districts
across
the
state
where
schools
are
racially
segregated.
M
Students
of
color
are
more
likely
to
attend
in
equitably
funded
schools
in
Pennsylvania,
where
they're
denied
access
to
quality
educational
opportunities,
and
such
schools
are
too
often
correlated
with
high
suspension
rates
as
well.
None
of
this
is
to
excuse
the
overuse
of
disciplinary
exclusionary
discipline,
but
it
should
be
understood
that
the
effort
to
reduce
suspension
must
be
connected
to
the
efforts
to
reduce
secure,
adequate
and
equitable
funding.
M
Meanwhile,
there
are
promising
and
cost
effective
alternatives
to
over
Alliance
and
suspension
talked
already
today,
you've
heard
of
PBIS
or
sort
of
practices,
trauma-informed,
education,
social,
emotional
learning
and
again
many
of
these
have
been
piloted
in
Philadelphia
schools
and
charter
schools.
In
recent
years,
though,
with
varying
degrees
of
fidelity,
I
would
direct
your
attention
again.
M
Dr.
Wolford
mentioned
the
consortium
of
policy,
research
and
education,
the
C
pre-study.
It's
entitled
discipline
and
context
of
spending
climate
and
PBIS
and
school
district
adelphia.
It
is
being
released,
I
believe
tomorrow
or
Friday
I've
seen
a
copy
of
it.
It
documents
the
district's
struggles
and
and
successes
and
implementing
some
of
these
alternative
approaches,
and
it's
pretty
clear
indication
that
this
work
is
difficult
work,
but
it's
also
highlighted
a
number
of
Philadelphia
schools
that
have
done
it
very
successfully
and
and
realize
very
positive
outcomes
for
students.
M
E
A
You
very
much
Kendra
Brooks
is
out.
We
will
call
a
Myra
Bohannon
parent
advocate.
We
will
submit
the
testimony
for
aclu,
that's
also
when
our
packets
aclu
was
listed,
Harold
Jordan
senior
policy
advocate
I'm,
not
sure,
is
listed,
but
we
know
we
have
their
testimony
in
the
last
three
people,
Linda
Rubin,
Tamika,
Anglin
and
delvia
a
barian
come
forward,
and
this
will
be
our
final
folks
for
the
day.
Unless
there's
someone
else
here,
we
will
we
welcome
you
and
that
will
conclude
our
hearing
for
the
day
and
all
what
testimonies
been
great
welcome.
L
Name
is
more
about
Henan
and
I'm,
the
mother
of
a
sixth
grade
student
in
the
Philadelphia
public
school
system.
My
son
has
been
at
two
different
schools
in
Philadelphia.
He
currently
attends
the
Girard
academic
music
program,
gam,
a
magnet
school
which
he
was
accepted
to
based
on
test
scores
behavior
and
in
a
music
audition
from
second
through
fourth
grade
he
attended
general
Philip,
Kearney
Elementary
School,
the
two
schools
separated
only
by
a
few
miles
or
light-years
apart.
A
major
area
of
contrast
is
the
use
of
out-of-school
suspension
as
punishment.
L
Another
area
of
contrast
is
the
racial
composite
of
the
schools.
I
do
believe
they
are
sadly
linked.
Tyranny
according
to
the
school
districts
website
is
eighty
four
point:
two
percent
African
American
five
point:
eight
percent
Latino
and
2.5
percent
white.
In
the
2015-2016
school
year
they
had
270
suspensions
I,
remember
as
a
new
parent.
When
my
son
was
in
sixth
in
second
grade,
we
had
relocated
from
the
DC
area
being
startled
by
the
reports
he
gave
me
about
students
being
suspended
on
a
weekly
basis.
L
In
second
grade
seven
and
eight
year
old
children
on
classroom
visits.
I
saw
the
problems
of
overcrowded
classrooms
and
seventy-year-old
seven
and
eight-year-olds
acting
out
a
seven
and
eight-year-olds.
Do
the
behaviors
varied
widely
from
talking
out
of
turn
to
more
serious
infractions,
but
no
matter
the
behavior
or
its
severity.
All
situations
were
handled
the
same.
L
The
child
was
removed
from
the
classrooms
and
to
the
principal
and
given
a
suspension,
some
of
these
students
should
have
been
sent
to
a
counselor
or
maybe
been
tracked
for
support
services,
but
they
shouldn't
have
been
suspended
because
that
did
not
help
the
situation.
The
school
only
had
a
counselor
2.5
days
per
week
and
it
used
suspension
as
a
way
to
deal
with
student
problems
since
class
sizes
were
large.
Suspensions
were
used
as
a
way
to
manage
classrooms.
L
This
made
things
worse
for
everyone,
this
the
disruption
to
the
classroom,
both
for
the
child
directly
affected
and
his
classmates
was
on
a
weekly
basis
for
reference.
Kearney
also
ranks
below
the
school
district
average
in
PSSA
test
scores,
so
missing
class.
No
one
any
good.
By
contrast
at
camp
a
5th
through
12th
grade
magnet
school,
the
population
is
40%
white,
27%,
African,
American
and
17%
Asian.
In
the
past
three
school
years
on
record,
they
have
suspended
0
children.
This
isn't
to
say
GAMP
is
problem
free,
but
our
experience
is
a
180
from
Kearney.
L
The
teachers
principal
and
school
counselors
are
in
communication
with
parents.
As
soon
as
the
problem
arises,
the
classrooms
are
just
as
crowded.
In
fact
he
had
five
more
kids
in
his
fifth
grade
than
he
did
in
his
fourth
grade:
33
kids
in
his
class,
but
the
students
who
act
out
are
redirected
and
if
the
behavior
continues
are
disciplined
toward
demerit
2
detention
system,
3
demerits,
equal
1
detention,
the
student
misses
no
class
time.
L
The
lesson
disruption
is
minimal
and
all
students
are
aware
of
the
consequences
for
negative
behavior
from
day
one
by
comparison,
Gant
often
scores
at
least
50%
higher
than
the
sdp
average
for
PS
essays.
Many
students
at
Kearney
will
never
experience
a
school
like
camp
or
Masterman
Bodeen
science,
Leadership
Academy,
some
of
the
best
schools
in
the
state.
These
schools
look
at.
In
addition
to
grades,
behavior
records
and
attendance,
out-of-school
suspensions
for
children
in
2nd
3rd
and
4th
grade,
prevent
them
from
getting
into
magnet
middle
schools.
L
Miss
Lynch
mentioned
earlier
that
it
was
seventh
grade
that
was
looked
at
for
high
school,
but
it's
3rd,
the
3rd
grade
record
for
the
middle
school
and
that
third
grade
is
not
covered
in
the
kated
2nd
suspension
band.
Even
if
test
scores
and
grades
are
similar.
There
are
so
many
applicants
that
even
one
suspension
will
result
in
a
rejection
from
the
school.
Then
the
student
is
trapped
in
a
school
that
uses
suspensions
to
punish
all
manner
of
infractions,
resulting
in
the
same
rejections
when
applying
to
high
school.
L
This
essentially
creates
a
dual
system
of
Education
for
black
students
and
white
students.
Black
students
go
to
schools
where
there
are
nearly
300
suspensions
in
a
school
year
and
prevents
them
from
ever
having
access
to
the
white
schools
that
don't
use
suspensions
at
all.
In
my
experience
in
these
two
schools,
the
use
of
suspensions
is
widely
misused.
Although
my
son
has
only
attended
two
schools
what's
happening
at
in
is
happening
all
over
our
city.
L
The
fact
that
these
two
schools
are
in
the
same
district
is
a
topic
for
another
day,
but
one
that
must
be
addressed
out
of
school
suspensions
do
nothing
to
help
the
children
in
Kearney
or
at
any
other
school.
Instead,
it
keeps
them
from
the
classroom
from
achieving
and
succeeding.
Please
ban
the
use
of
suspensions
for
our
early
learners.
Thank.
H
H
Get
on
the
Councilwoman
I'm
del
VI,
Berrian
and
I
just
want
to
first
say
that
I
understand
the
problems
of
suspensions
being
used
excessively,
but
I
just
don't
want
I
guess:
consequences
to
go
away.
I
stand
before
you
today
as
a
concern
constituent
grandparent,
mother
and
child
specialists
on
October
19
2017.
My
granddaughter
Ziya
was
assaulted
by
a
fifth
grade
student
on
a
school
bus
on
her
way
home
from
school.
My
granddaughter
was
attending
mathematics.
It
excites
charter
school.
My
daughter
and
I
contacted
the
school
and
was
a
forum
that
the
matter
would
be
handled.
H
Nevertheless,
there
were
no
consequences
exercise
against
the
youth
who
had
violently
and
remorsefully
assaulted.
My
granddaughter
she
actually
pulled
a
patch
of
hair
out
of
her
head.
We
actually
was
on
the
news
on
Monday
evening
on
Fox
29,
and
we
requested
a
meeting.
You
know
just
to
put
them
to
reconsider.
You
know
they
were
expecting
her
to
get
back
on
his
school
bus.
With
this
girl
who
violently
pulled
her
hair
out
she's,
a
small
eight-year-old
she's
instructed
to
sit
behind
the
bus
driver,
mind
your
business.
You
have
your
phone,
you
have
your
headphones.
H
Just
go
on
my
granddaughter
was
trauma,
time
traumatized,
dehumanized
and
afraid
to
return
to
school.
This
youth
has
a
history
of
violence
and
unruly
behavior
towards
other
students,
and
there
should
have
been
some
accountability
to
on
a
part
of
the
school,
the
parents
and
as
well
as
the
youth,
what
message
where
we
send
in
this
child
and
my
granddaughter
that
she
didn't
matter
that
you
know
people
could
just
hit
you
suppose
someone
touched
her
sexually
and
you
didn't
address
it.
H
Do
you
understand
what
I'm
saying
so
I
was
concerned
that
you
know
you
didn't
issue
any
kind
of
punishment?
It's
just
you
know
just
deal
with
what
happened
to
her
as
a
Christian,
I
understand
and
support
Redemption.
However,
as
a
professional
social
work,
I'm
reminded
of
the
long-standing
consequences
of
no
accountability,
children
are
reared
with
our
children,
who
are
rare
without
experience
and
negative
experience
and
consequences
to
negative
actions
often
are
the
most
troubled
members
of
society.
H
There's
also
a
pronounced
need
to
ensure
that
the
victim
of
school-based
bullying
are
protected
and
fill
safe
and
secure
in
schools.
My
granddaughter
did
not
sue,
feel
safe,
protected
and
ion
challenged
to
understand
how
a
school
infrastructure
that
does
not
exercise
corrective
discipline
against
offenders
protects
vulnerable
children,
which
is
a
core
mission,
so
I.
Thank
you
for
the
time
I.
Thank
you
for
hearing
me
and
I.
H
Just
ask
that
you,
you
know
I
understand
that
it's
a
problem
with
suspension
and
the
disparity
and
everything
I,
but
I
just
want
to
make
sure
that
we
address
the
issues
and
I
understand
that
it
must
be
something
going
on
as
a
social
worker
with
this
child
at
home.
So
I
just
thank
you
for
your
time.
Thank
you.
H
She
was
transferred
out
of
the
school
when
we
noticed
that
they
weren't
trying
to
meet
with
us.
We
took
her
out
of
that
school
and
it
took
a
week.
You
know,
because
I
sent
them
an
apple
on
a
Thursday
I
sent
them
an
email
that
Friday
when
they
told
my
daughter,
the
child
was
remorseful
and
they
don't
think
it's
going
to
happen
again.
There
was
no
apology
or
anything
so
I
send
the
email
to
the
school
and
I
had
a
return
receipt
that
they
read
the
email
on.
H
We
waited
that
Friday
was
Friday
afternoon,
okay,
give
it
to
a
Monday
and
when
they
didn't
respond
on
Monday,
my
daughter
wrote
a
post
on
Facebook
on
Tuesday,
but
it
didn't
get
that
many,
you
don't
hits
or
anything.
So
what
I
did
that
Wednesday
I
put
I
said
we
have
to
put
a
face
to
what
happened
and
I
put
a
picture
of
the
boss
by
a
week
after
it
took
please
you
know
on
Facebook,
and
it
was
shared,
maybe
over
700
times
and
then
I
come
to
find
out.
H
A
L
K
Your
story,
I,
you
know,
while
the
SRC
is
disbanded
that
that
process
won't
happen
until
the
end
of
the
school
year.
So
I
would
strongly
encourage
you
to
testify
to
your
story
on
the
16th.
Okay,
if
you're
able
to
spend
the
time
it's
important
for
the
schools
to
hear
what's
happening,
especially
one
of
the
most
important
things
that
I
wanted
to
assure
you
is.
We
are
deeply
concerned
about
punitive
based
programs
that
don't
address
accountability
and
one
of
the
things
that
we
feel
like
is
that
suspensions
don't
address
accountability
either.
K
I,
don't
think
it's
right
that
your
daughter
was
attacked
and
assaulted
in
the
way
that
she
was
it's
terrible.
The
problem
that
I
have
is
that
by
suspending
this
young
woman,
she
basically
gets
off.
She
doesn't
have
to
deal
with
the
consequences
and
we
get
to
say
that
we
punished
her,
but
when,
in
fact
she
never
issued
an
apology.
K
Accountability
need
to
change
their
behavior
too,
and
it
is
extremely
important
that
we
pay
attention
to
bullying
the
harassment,
and
so
you
know
to
the
extent
that
we
can
be
supportive
of
you
through
this
process,
you
know
and
and
paying
attention
and
asking
the
district
to
focus
in
on
bullying,
harassment,
the
change
and
we'll
keep
working
on
it
with
you,
the
question
I
had
was:
did
you
say
you
were
the
one
who
had
to
transfer
out
of
the
school?
My.
H
Daughter
did
but
I
went
with
her
through
the
process,
because
when
she
went
to
the
school
to
withdraw
her,
they
told
her
she
had
to
have
an
exit
interview
with
the
CEO.
So
she
thought
you
know
it
would
just
be
hiring
the
CEO.
But
when
she
went
into
the
meeting
she
had
her
two
children
with
her
at
the
time
it
was
the
CEO,
the
principal,
the
Vice
Principal
and
another
person
to
me.
That
was
you
trying
to
bully
her
again
because
before
she
could
sit
down,
you
said
to
her.
H
I
saw
your
Facebook
post
yeah
and
they
wanted
her
to
either
take
it
down
or
put
up
that
the
matter
has
been
resolved
and
the
matter
wasn't
resolved
to
our
satisfaction
when
I
sent
the
email
on
that
Friday
I
asked
that
they
reconsider
the
that
not
issuing
a
consequence
and
if
they
wanted,
they
could
have
a
meeting
with
my
daughter
myself
with
the
parent.
So
in
that
way
we
can
come
to
some
kind
of
resolution
and
my
granddaughter
wouldn't
be
afraid
to
get
back
on
the
school
bus
and
I
guess.
H
The
reason
why
we
went
that
way
is
this:
wasn't
the
first
incident.
This
was
the
third
incident.
She
was
on
a
different
bus
last
year
and
there
were
two
incidents
where
you
know
older
children
bothered
her.
So
we
thought
because
not
daughter,
moved
to
a
different
neighborhood
different
bus
route.
Let's
try
it
again
because
she
really
wasn't
satisfied
at
the
end
of
the
school
year
last
year
and
wanted
to
move
her,
but
I
said
no.
Let's
try
again
give
it
another
chance.
You
don't
want
to
keep
moving
her
around,
but
she
didn't
feel
safe.
K
K
We
need
the
school
to
do
a
better
job
to
address
the
behaviors
that
they
are
experiencing
and
suspensions
are
a
poor
way
out
of
that,
and
if
we
can
do
better
and
think
more
clearly
about
how
to
confront
these
and
to
make
sure
that
our
young
people,
especially
anybody
who
is
physically
and
brutally
assaulted,
they
have
to
feel
safe,
and
it's
an
unfair
that
you
felt
like
you
had
to
be
the
one
to
transfer.
But
thank
you
very.
H
Much
protecting
also
is.
There
was
no
one
who's
like
because
it's
an
independent
charter
school
there's,
no
one
like
overseeing
them,
so
we
went
to
the
charter
school
office,
I
called
them
and
they
said
well,
they
don't
have
to
call
us
back.
They
don't
have
to
answer
to
us
because
it's
an
independent,
so
it's
really
accountability
across
the
board.
But
thank
you.
Thank
you.
A
Thank
you
very
much
so
I,
don't
know
where
the
young
man
went
to
I
asked
him
to
walk
you
to
my
office,
but
thank
you.
They'll
walk
you
to
my
office
and
we'll
try
to
find
out
what's
going
on
and
get
some
help
and
clarification
because
we
know
the
school
and
that
principal
quite
well
for
many
years.
Thank
you.
I
I
Suspensions
as
Kevin
Lynch
spoke
about,
suspensions
are
used
and
dr.
Wofford
suspensions
are
used
more
in
schools
that
are
under-resourced
and
understaffed,
so
and
and
as
the
other
parent
spoke
about
GAMP
in
the
school
that
is
not
primarily
black
and
is
not
under-resourced,
has
zero
suspensions,
that's
very
telling
as
to
how
suspensions
are
used
and
why
they're
used
children
not
in
school
do
not
receive
an
education.
The
district
is
embarking
on
a
campaign
to
increase
attendance.
I
If
the
need
is
to
increase
attendance
to
make
sure
the
children
get
educated,
then
suspending
children
under
fifth
grade
is
is
problematic
to
have
a
policy
which
eliminated
kindergarten
suspensions
yet
didn't
eliminate
kindergarten.
Suspensions
I,
don't
really
understand
how
that
happened,
but
we
also
know
that
policy
and
practice
can
diverge
widely.
So
I
would
hope
that
the
city
would
help
the
district
in
holding
account
holding
that
themselves
accountable
to
their
own
policies.
They
created
a
policy
said
this
is
what
we're
supposed
to
do.
I
Somebody
didn't
I,
don't
know.
The
conversation
was
not
had
in
a
way
to
make
sure
that
things
were
clear.
Behavioral
services
are
imperative
if
suspensions
are
to
be
eliminated.
There
is
no
reason
to
accommodate
bad
behavior
by
allowing
children
to
leave
the
classroom
for
to
get
a
timeout
for
them
to
gather
themselves
without
addressing
whatever
those
issues
are
because
they
returned
to
the
classroom
similar
to
suspension.
They
return
to
the
classroom
without
their
issue
being
addressed.
I
There
are
core
reasons
why
children
behave
the
way
that
they
do
and
unless
someone
actually
addresses
it
by
way
of
a
social
worker,
a
psychologist
evaluations
and
IEP
s
or
504s.
Unless
those
issues
restorative
practices
within
the
classroom,
training
for
classroom
additional
staff
teachers
who
have
to
deal
with
misbehaving
students
cannot
no
matter
how
well
they're
trained,
cannot
take
one
student
to
deal
with
when
they
have
thirty
three
additional
Gideon
was:
is
a
community
school
proposed
to
be
now
on
the
district's
priority
list?
I
The
second
grade
teacher
there
has
33
students-
and
there
are
no
additional
adults
in
the
building
for
her
to
address
any
issue
that
arises
in
our
classroom,
which
means
that
if
there
is
an
issue,
suspension
would
be
her
default
thing.
I
need
to
get
this
child
out
of
this
room
so
that
I
can
continue
to
educate
the
additional
30
in
the
room.
So
addressing
the
issue
of
suspension.
Without
addressing
the
issue
of
resources
staff
in
the
building
in
the
classrooms,
there
won't
be
a
solution.
The
problem
will
remain.
I
If
you
can't
actually
leave
classroom
to
deal
with
it,
there
needs
to
be
professionals
in
the
building
too,
that
a
child
can
leave
the
classroom,
go
to
the
professional
to
work
out
their
issues.
To
then
return
to
the
classroom,
even
in
the
midst
of
suspensions,
in
the
absence
of
those
things,
we
will
not
get
a,
we
will
not
have
a
sustainable
solution.
Additionally,
Cameron
Lynch
and
dr.
Walker
talked
about
the
data.
The
data
relies
on
reporting
things.
If
things
aren't
reported,
there
is
no
data
for
it,
so
suspensions
that
happen.
I
B
My
name
is
Linda
Rubin
and
I'm.
A
retired
school
counselor
I
was
a
counselor
at
a
K
to
8
school
d.
Nuland
fell
elementary
school
in
South
Philadelphia
for
38
years,
but
I
also
saw
myself.
I
will
tell
you,
as
a
child,
advocate
more
than
anything
else
and
I
want
I
want
to
say:
I
did
not
come
prepared
with
the
testimony,
so
I
am
too
off-the-cuff.
I
want
to
say
that
I
agree
with
about
EV.
Just
about
everything.
That's
been
said
here
today:
suspensions
are
bad.
Suspensions
are
done
disproportionately
for
children
of
color.
B
B
What
I
heard
today
was
a
lot
of
talking
to
some
degree
to
the
problem,
but
a
lot
of
talking
around
the
problem
when
we,
when
we
put
this
problem
over
here,
we
want
to
reduce
suspensions,
but
we're
not
talking
about
what
we're
going
to
put
into
place
to
assist
the
child
to
learn
in
the
school.
One
of
the
things
that
I
you
know
one
size
does
not
fit
all
and
yet
of
many
of
the
schools
where
there
are
disproportionate
numbers
of
suspensions
suspensions.
B
I,
wonder
how
many
of
those
schools
receive
draconian
cuts
in
the
last
few
years,
where
there
was
no,
where
there
were
no
counselors,
where
there
were
no
NTAs
MTA's
the
non
teaching
assistants,
often
from
community.
If
you
don't
have
support
staff,
somebody
who
can
take
a
child
out
of
a
of
a
classroom
for
a
brief
period
of
time,
even
to
let
them
calm
down,
to
get
them
control
themselves
and
to
have
someone
listen
to
them.
These
kinds
of
things
are
really
important,
but
it's
also
I
will
agree
with
dr.
B
B
I
did
speak
in
a
testimony
to
the
SRC
when
they
firt
that
night
that
they
spoke
about
the
eliminating
of
suspensions
in
kindergarten
on
up
one
of
the
things
that
disturbs
me
is
that
sometimes
there
is
a
view
that,
just
because
a
child
is
a
small
person
just
because
a
child
is
five
six
or
seven
years
old,
they
can't
be
out
of
control,
and
this
is
just
not
true.
We
I
have
children.
I
have
on
my
phone
right
now.
B
You
can
see
good
I
still
have
overturned
desks
in
a
classroom
that
is
traumatic
for
the
other
children
to
deal
with
the
child.
Who
did
the
particular
picture
that
I
still
have
on
my
phone
happened
to
have
just
been
returned
to
her
parents?
She
had
been
out
of
there
out
of
their
home
for
a
while,
so
these
children
have
reasons
for
how
they're
acting
she
was
also
keeping
other
children
from
learning
got
her
into
my
office
as
a
counselor
we
were
able
to
work.
B
B
Fear
of
failure
in
school
is
another
reason
that
children
can
act
out
because
they're
scared
of
failing
so,
but
these
are.
These
are
not
things
that
are
going
to
disappear.
Just
by
saying,
there's
not
going
to
be
a
suspension.
I
am
NOT
for
suspensions,
believe
me,
but
we
do
have
children
that
are
rip-roaring
through
those
classrooms,
overturning
desk,
pulling
hair
out
of
children's
heads,
and
we
need
to
deal
with
that
as
well,
so
that
so
I
am
in
agreement
with
my
colleagues
over
here
that
then
you
do.
B
A
ban
on
suspensions:
you
must
immediately
have
options
in
the
school
in
place
to
deal
with
those
Schilt
children
in
the
short
term
and
in
the
long
term,
when
I
hear
dr.
Lynch,
talking
about
collaborative
climates,
well,
collaborative
climates
necessitates
sufficient
staffing
and
supports.
You
can't
do
that.
If
you
only
have
enough
teachers
to
teach
your
children-
and
you
don't
have
anybody
to
come
in
and
cover
I
don't
want
to
go
on
and
on.
But
I
do
want
to
say
that,
just
because
a
child
is
young
doesn't
mean
they
can't
act
out.
B
Just
because
a
child
is
is
acting
out,
doesn't
mean
that
they're
bad
or
that
they
need
some.
They
certainly
don't
need
them
out
of
school,
but
we
may
need
them
out
of
the
classroom
and
we
may
need
to
have
professionals
NTAs,
who
are
often
people
known
to
the
community,
who
can
at
least
try
to
let
them
talk
themselves
down,
give
them
some
breathing
space
and
then
get
them
back
in.
B
K
I
make
one
comment.
One
brief
one.
First
of
all,
thank
you
very
much,
miss
Rubin
in
England
for
coming
here
and
testifying
and
bringing
that
information
to
us
and
I
know
one
of
the
things
that
what
I
would
like
to
reach
out
to
you
about
is,
if
you
could
just
share
with
us
your
top
two
recommendations
that
we've
got
going
on
right
now.
So.
K
A
B
If
I
may
answer
a
piece
of
what
you
were
saying,
because
thank
you
for
reminding
me
as
an
eighth
grade
counselor
who
helped
children
get
into
high
schools
I'm,
not
speaking
about
charters,
I
have
no
knowledge
of
that.
But
it
is
true
that
the
grades
that
the
high
schools
will
look
at
is
the
seventh
grade,
and
if
for
middle
schools,
it
will
be
the
fifth
grade.
B
However,
I
will
tell
you
that
once
a
child
makes
an
application
anybody
in
in
the
high
school
in
the
school
district,
they
do
have
access
to
their
full
records
and
they
can
go
and
find
out.
What's
what's
happening
just
by
going
it
used
to
be
the
school
computer
network.
I,
don't
know
what
they've
replaced
it
with
it's.
It's
doable.
B
K
Rather
than
focus
in
on
individual
student
behaviors,
again,
I.
Think
the
mother
who
came
in
today
made
it
so
clear
that
this
does
not
mean
that
we
do
not
believe
in
accountability.
We
want
accountability.
We
cannot
have
children
feel
like
they
can
terrorize
other
young
people
or
feel
like
they
are
constantly
victims
within
a
system,
but
the
issue
is:
is
that
we
do
not
believe
or
I
do
not
believe
I
will
speak
for
myself.
K
I
have
not
seen
proof
that
suspensions
fix
a
young
person's,
behavioral
or
or
mental
health
issues
that
are
contributing
to
the
suspensions.
In
the
first
place.
It's
not
helping
a
teacher
gain
better
skills
to
deal
with
a
high-stress
situation
and
it's
not
making
our
schools
safer,
so
so
I
think
we
need
to
do
a
lot
more
study,
but
I
want
to
thank
you,
madam
chair,
and
especially
Councilwoman
Reynolds
Brown,
for
bringing
this
issue
to
the
forefront
I.
Thank.