Keeping Kids In School: The Urgent Need For Reform Of School Discipline In NH
Juvenile Reform Project, a coalition of:
New Hampshire Legal Assistance
NH Children’s Behavioral Health Collaborative
ACLU of New Hampshire
Disability Rights Center – NH
Waypoint
Executive Summary
Exclusionary discipline—defined as out of school suspension and expulsion—is an extreme consequence for student misbehavior. Not only does it cause already at-risk children to fall behind in their academics, but it often causes them to disconnect from their education and prosocial activities altogether. As discussed below, recent data collected through the United States Department of Education Office of Civil Rights (OCR) shows that:
- New Hampshire Schools rely heavily upon exclusionary discipline to address school misbehavior;
- Exclusionary school discipline has a disproportionate impact on New Hampshire’s students with disabilities and students of color; and
- New Hampshire’s use of exclusionary discipline is largely ineffective in managing student misbehavior.
This report begins with an overview of the harms of exclusionary discipline, current New Hampshire law and practices, and the need for reform. Second, the report discusses alarming New Hampshire data detailing the disproportionate use of out-of-school discipline against disadvantaged students and other problematic practices. Third, the report discusses the advantages of implementation of New Hampshire’s Multi-Tiered System of Supports for Behavioral Health and Wellness (MTSS-B) framework. Finally, the report provides recommendations for how the state can and should reform school discipline for the betterment of all.
