The suspension flowchart.

What are the rules for suspension? Hubby and I have had this conversation a handful of times now. With an entire village living under one roof, it becomes very easy to see when consequences aren’t applied equally across the board. Which always leads us back to this rules for suspension conversation. 

Today, like many others before it, started with a PowerSchool notice on my phone that someone from my house was not in class. Today, it was Sassy Britches, missing from 3rd hour. I was standing there, peacefully, making Sassy Britches her Beef Empanadas for dinner. Now wondering if I should start cleaning up in preparation for the trip to school to pick up a suspended kid. I continue on figuring they’ve had her there this long, they can wait until I’m done here. To my shock, the phone doesn’t ring. 

I finish the empanadas and move on to tackle a french braid request. Can I French braid? Sure. Am I good at it? Heck to the no. So as I fumble with damp hair, trying to make it resemble something braided, the phone rings. AND THERE IT IS. Why is their timing always so terrible?

Sassy Britches has gotten herself suspended but… not until tomorrow?!?! (There has got to be a separate flow chart for suspension time lines, too. This is different every single time.) Why is she suspended? Skipping class in favor of hiding in the bathroom. I don’t understand why everyone there is so drawn to the bathroom. Strange things happen in there. Gross things happen in there. Why that’s become the place to hang out, I will never understand. Anyway, my struggle here is that other sweet little innocents in my house have also been located in the bathroom and not suspended. I want to know what the measurables are here. I’m starting to think that there really aren’t any and instead we are using common sense to decide how to proceed. Being I’ve found most to be lacking that lately, I’d rather have some printed guidelines of expectations. 

Sometimes the suspension starts when they call me. Others it doesn’t start until the next day. What are the actual rules?!?! Are there guidelines? Is there a suspension flowchart? 

Little Susie was caught in the bathroom instead of class. 

-Has she done it before?

No

-Is it a Wednesday?

Yes. Off with her head!

I’ve been down this path so many times now, I consider myself a suspension expert. Because of my level of expertise, I can also say, they are doing this wrong. What part of this entire process is discipline? It smells of punishment to me. Discipline should have one walking away being made better for it. Instead, they have now smacked her hand, given her a day off school, and did this the last week or so of the semester so she can be further behind. I’m sure English as her second language and all the other gaps in schooling thanks to inadequate housing, hurricanes and foster care, probably isn’t enough of a set back. Let’s punish her by removing another instructional day from her school career. 

What ever happened to in school suspension? There has got to be a better way that just removing kids that don’t comply.