I read the article Hidden Expulsions and I feel like only half the story is being told. As a community we yearn to live in a society where all our children succeed to the best of their abilities and are given the opportunity to grow into lifelong learners. Unfortunately a one size fits all approach is being applied by “advocates” which hurts all students.

Firstly how does the “keep all students in traditional school at all costs” mantra help the other 31 students in the room. If a student is being expelled/transferred for fighting, bullying, weapons possessiom or selling drugs, how does their absence effect the other students? Well the victims (who are also Black and Brown and disproportionally LGBT) will be able to finally concentrate on school work as their safety will be guaranteed. Safety should always come first. Public education is meant to be the great equalizer. The higher income class sends their children to private school, it is the public school system where cycles of poverty can be upeneded. This canconly happen if students are not fearful of being attacked, stabbed or pressured into drug use by peers that need additional support and don’t belong in that environment. Now if catering to 96% of the student body or 31/32 students doesn’t seem “equitable” lets talk about that last 4%.

The definition of insanity is doing something over and over and expecting a diffferent result. For the student that was causing an unsafe environment by either physically harming others or introducing dangerous addictive substances to their peers, how can we best reach and teach them? Every student deserves an education but should it all be the “one size fits all” standard? I do not have the numbers but do you believe the student that faces expulsion has good grades? Do you feel like the student is learning to the best of their ability in that environment? I feel like the students behaviours are a cry for help. Not a cry to remain in the same state they are in. These students need additional support, whether that be smaller class sizes, different start times, or other accomodations that traditional school cannot provide. Its not surprising these students would rather remain with their friends in the school they know, but their behaviour and failures at that school show that they need additional support even if they dont realize it.

I struggle to pinpoint who is hurt the most by these social experiment policies. Is it the mostly Black and Brown students having to sit next to their bullies in class? Is it the underpaid teacher who can’t finish a vital math lesson because a student who needs additional attention and support is taking it all? Or is it the student themself who is desperately showing they arent making it yet most “experts” are continuimg to hold them down in the same seat as if that environment that failed them is suddenly going to save them. In conclusion, these “restorative” practices aim to help Black and Brown students but only work in theory and should remain in the minds of idealistic theorists and out of our schools.