NYC School Suspensions Increase Under De Blasio For 1st Time

NEW YORK — The number of student suspensions in New York City schools increased under Mayor Bill de Blasio for the first time last school year despite a large overall drop during his administration, the Department of Education said.

Schools saw a total of 49,293 suspensions and removals — instances when a child is moved into another class — during the 2017-18 school year, up about 5.8 percent from the prior year, according to DOE statistics released Wednesday. The figures show no expulsions last year.

Suspensions alone increased 4.1 percent, driven by a nearly 21 percent spike from July to December 2017, the DOE said. That period that included a fatal stabbing at a high school in The Bronx. Education officials worked to tamp down the increase in the spring, leading to 4.6 percent drop in the second half of the school year, according to the DOE.

Suspensions have fallen 31.5 percent since de Blasio took office, the DOE said. The Democratic mayor's administration has emphasized approaches that train staff to address underlying issues and manage incidents while keeping students in a learning environment, the department said.

But Deputy Chancellor LaShawn Robinson admitted that there's still "much work to do."

"I'm focused on providing schools with the resources needed to be proactive in preventing and managing conflict, while continuing to foster safe and supportive learning environments," Robinson said in a statement.

The DOE's figures were released a day after advocates and lawmakers urged the city to fix the racial disparities in student discipline. Black students were suspended longer than students of other races for eight of the 10 most common infractions in the 2016-17 school year, a recent Independent Budget Office report found.

The DOE's statistics reveal such disparities. Black and Hispanic students were suspended or removed from class more than 41,700 times last school year, the figures show. That number accounts for about 84.7 percent of all suspensions and removals even though those ethnic groups only comprise 66.5 percent of the city's student body.

White students, by comparison, comprise 15 percent of the student body but only accounted for about 8.7 percent of suspensions and removals, the figures show.

The DOE touted its investments aimed at improving school environments. The department said they include $23 million for implicit bias and culturally reponsive education training that all school staff are expected to get over the next two years; $47 million a year for strengthening school culture and climate, including the hiring of 100 school-based mental health consultants; $8 million a year for anti-bullying initiatives; and expanding mental health services in partnership with the city's ThriveNYC initiative.

(Lead image: Photo by Renee Schiavone/Patch)