Schools address black students' suspensions

Much of the teaching staff in many counties is white and may be inexperienced in dealing with children from troubled neighborhoods.

"We get 900 new teachers every year. Most of them have never taught in an urban-like setting," said Dale R. Rauenzahn, director of student support services in Baltimore County.

Craig Cummings, coordinator of alternative programs in Howard County, said he believes the issue may not just be race but also family income. Although the state does not collect suspension data broken down this way, Cummings believes low-income students are more likely to be suspended than others. In those households, he said, parents may be working long hours and have less time for their children.

The suspension rate for black students has been on the rise. A study by University of Maryland researchers published last year found that in 1995 African-American students were 1 1/2 times more likely to be suspended than other children enrolled in Maryland public schools.

A decade later as discipline policies were tightened, African-Americans were 2 1/2 times more likely to be suspended, particularly for small infractions.

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