Why Not Just Suspend? 5 Strategies for Conversations About School Discipline

By Jessica and John Hannigan

Communicating alternative school discipline effectively can be a laborious task for administrators. Prior to giving an alternative to a student, the beliefs of the administrator must support it. If the administrator cannot articulate the significance of why the alternative is important, nobody on that campus will believe it to be important. There is an art to assigning appropriate discipline while working with the stakeholders (parents, teachers, students) and deciding consequences that are appropriate for a child that will change behavior. We want to be clear; the message simply isn’t to NOT suspend. The message is: This student is returning to your school regardless, so what are you doing to teach and ensure these behaviors are not repeating on your campus?

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