California limits suspensions to address disparities. Do they exist in Sacramento schools?

SB 274, written by Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, bans willful defiance suspensions and expulsions in California high schools through 2029 and extends an existing ban on willful defiance suspensions in California middle schools through the same year. The bans also affect charter schools.

Under the new law, unruly kids could be removed from classrooms without being suspended. Instead of taking them out of school, it would be up to administrators to provide appropriate in-school interventions and support.

Equity was a motivation for crafting this law. Skinner’s office cited the disproportionate affect of defiance suspensions on “students of color, LGBTQ students, students who are homeless or in foster care, and those with disabilities” in September news release heralding the bill’s passage in the Legislature.

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