Taby Ali and Alexandra Dufresne, J.D.

The use of out-of-school punishments in Connecticut schools is surprisingly common -- over 250,000 school days were lost to suspensions or expulsions in the 2007-2008 school year, the equivalent of 1,400 absences per day. Nearly 60% of suspensions were for "school policy violations," which include attendance violations such as skipping school. This fact sheet finds that excluding students from school is an ineffective method of promoting good behavior, there is a significant educational cost to missing school, out-of-school suspensions may increase risk of involvement in the juvenile justice system, and alternative discipline methods are more effective tools to prevent misconduct. (September 2009)

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