Suspensions and expulsions

Under Section 24 of the School Act, principals have the right to suspend a student from school for up to five days. Out-of-school suspensions and expulsions are considered extreme forms of timeout from positive reinforcement. Principals may use suspension and expulsion to ensure the safety of students and staff. Suspensions can also:

• provide the school and staff with an opportunity to regroup and retool for the student’s return
• provide the student with an opportunity to think about what has led to the suspension.

Disadvantages of suspension

When students are out of school, they miss out on instruction, and often cause inconvenience and stress for their families. Many parents are unavailable or unwilling to supervise a student’s suspension and, as a result, the student may spend the time watching television, playing video games or enjoying the community. The student may also have unstructured and unsupervised time that leads to further negative behaviour.

Parents often object to suspensions on the basis of lost instructional time. They also argue that some students do not regard suspension as a negative consequence and that suspensions can inadvertently become positive reinforcement for negative behaviour.

Suspensions can have a number of unintended consequences. Research conducted by the British Columbia Ministry of Education (1999) suggests that suspension:

• does not have the same effect as in years past due to the changing nature and extent of behaviours, and changes in family and community structures
• contributes to a student’s alienation from school
• increases dropout rates
• contributes to academic failure
• appears to be a factor in students’ involvement in risky or antisocial behaviour
• may precipitate more serious crimes in the community
• may have no effect or even increase the likelihood of the behaviour recurring
• may increase aggressive or avoidance behaviour.

Given that out-of-school suspensions may or may not change student behaviour and may cause hardships for families, a number of schools in Alberta are looking for more effective alternatives.

For more information on alternatives to suspension, see “Rethinking the Effectiveness of Suspensions” by Brenda Sautner in Reclaiming Children and Youth, Volume  9, Issue 4 (Winter 2001), pp. 210–214.

School Act requirements

Schools using suspensions and expulsions must comply with all requirements of the School Act, including:

Suspension
24 (1) A teacher or a principal may suspend a student in accordance with subsection (2) or (3) if in the opinion of the teacher or principal
(a) the student has failed to comply with section 12, or
(b) the student’s conduct is injurious to the physical or mental well‑being of others in the school.
(2) A teacher may suspend a student from one class period.
(3) A principal may suspend a student
(a) from school,
(b) from one or more class periods, courses or education programs, or
(c) from riding in a school bus.
(4) A principal may reinstate a student suspended under subsection (2) or (3).
(5) When a student is suspended under subsection (3), the principal shall
(a) forthwith inform the student’s parent of the suspension,
(b) report in writing to the student’s parent all the circumstances respecting the suspension, and
(c) if requested, provide an opportunity to meet with the student’s parent, and the student if the student is 16 years of age or older, to discuss the reasonableness of the suspension.
(6) If the student is not to be reinstated within 5 school days after the date of the suspension, the principal shall
(a) forthwith inform the board of the suspension, and
(b) report in writing to the board all the circumstances respecting the suspension and the principal’s recommendations, and the student remains suspended until the board has made a decision under subsection (8).
(7) The principal may recommend that the board expel the student if
(a) the student has displayed an attitude of wilful, blatant and repeated refusal to comply with section 12, or
(b) the student’s conduct is injurious to the physical or mental well‑being of others in the school.
(8) The board shall within 10 school days after the date of the suspension
(a) reinstate the student, or
(b) expel the student from school in accordance with section 25.

(9) Before the board makes a decision under subsection (8), the student and the student’s parent may make representations to the board with respect to the principal’s recommendation to expel the student.

Expulsion
25 (1) On considering the report provided to it under section 24(6)(b) and any representations made to it under section 24(9), the board may expel the student if
(a) the principal has recommended that the board expel the student, and
(b) the student has been offered another education program by the board.
(2) An expulsion must be for a period of more than 10 school days.
(3) When a student is expelled under this section, the board shall forthwith notify, in writing, the student’s parent, and the student if the student is 16 years of age or older,
(a) of the expulsion, and
(b) of the right to request a review under section 124.
(4) The board may re‑enrol a student who has been expelled.

Suspension is generally reserved for serious behaviour that compromises the safety and well-being of other students, but schools also have a right to use suspension if a student does not follow the code of conduct outlined in Section 12 of the School Act, as described below.

Students
12 A student shall conduct himself or herself so as to reasonably comply with the following code of conduct:
(a) be diligent in pursuing the student’s studies;
(b) attend school regularly and punctually;
(c) cooperate fully with everyone authorized by the board to provide education programs and other services;
(d) comply with the rules of the school;
(e) account to the student’s teachers for the student’s conduct;
(f) respect the rights of others.

Things to consider

Before deciding to use suspension as a consequence, school staff may wish to answer these questions.¹⁰

• What is the purpose of the suspension? Would other alternatives produce better results? Is the suspension effective in improving student behaviour?
• Where are the behaviours occurring? Is there a pattern to the behaviour?
• What steps can we take to ensure that learning is not compromised during the suspension?
• How will a suspension affect the parents? The community?
• Can we manage the suspension within the school? Where and how can we supervise the suspension in the school?
• Have we developed an individual support behaviour plan for students who have repeated difficulties?

If suspensions (in or out of school) are used as a consequence, the school must plan to follow up with a re-entry meeting and a plan for facilitating a positive return to school.

Alternatives to suspension

A number of schools are developing in-school suspension programs that decrease family hardship, ensure students are supervised and provide opportunities for students to engage in learning activities on their own. This approach requires a dedicated physical space away from other students as well as adult supervision throughout the day. Generally, students serving in-school suspensions do not have access to the school grounds, lunchroom or cafeteria, or to other opportunities for social interaction with peers.

Several urban junior and senior high schools have worked out reciprocal agreements with neighbouring schools so that individual students serve their suspension in a supervised setting in another school or in a nearby outreach program. Students lose their access to familiar peers and enjoyable daily activities but still engage in some academic work in a supervised school setting. This approach requires cooperation between schools, strong communication about the expectations of students and staff, and some preparation of learning materials for individual students. The assignments are often a mix of academic assignments and writing assignments that ask students to reflect on their current behaviour and make action plans for improvement.