Tens of thousands of students are being suspended in Maryland for relatively minor infractions each year, the result of zero-tolerance discipline policies that critics say are harming some of the most vulnerable children.
One in 11 students in the state was suspended last year - enough to fill every seat in Anne Arundel County's public schools. The rates were much higher for African-Americans, special-education students and boys - who were twice as likely as girls to be sent home.
"What we see is that suspension and expulsion are overused and actually push kids who need education the most out of school," said Jane Sundius at the Open Society Institute, a nonprofit that has studied suspensions and expulsions in Baltimore schools .
The rate of suspensions in Maryland has risen over the past 15 years, as school systems responded with stricter discipline codes to rising violence in their communities and the fear fanned by the shooting deaths at Columbine High School in 1999. Many administrators believe a no-nonsense approach to misbehavior is needed to keep schools safe and ensure a good environment for learning.
But those policies have led to widespread use of suspensions for a myriad of less serious offenses - from poor attendance to insubordination. The consequences have been devastating for some children who fall behind academically or fail to get help to improve their behavior, according to parents and some superintendents who are calling for change.
National research has shown that students suspended multiple times are more apt to drop out or commit crimes. A study released Thursday showed that Baltimore teens who had been murdered or hurt by gunfire were likely to have been suspended at least twice and had a history of truancy.
But there are consequences even for high-achieving students who are put out of school for a week or two. They may struggle to keep their grades up and find their chances of getting into college compromised.
Suspension rates and punishments vary widely in the state.
Baltimore County's rate has doubled to 12.4 percent, about the same as Baltimore City's, while Howard County sends home only 4 percent.
But overall, the threshold for suspension has dropped sharply. Even kindergartners and preschoolers are suspended each year. In nearly every district, truancy is grounds for suspension.
