YNN Buffalo
1/18/12
Antoinette Bryant
BUFFALO, N.Y. — It was the fourth and final public hearing Wednesday on student discipline in the Buffalo Public Schools.
Dozens of parents and students voiced their concerns in front of the Buffalo Public Schools Advisory Board at the Merriweather Library in Buffalo.
One by one, individuals told personal stories about how the out-of-school suspension program for non-violent offenses, currently in place for the district, affected their children’s education.
Many parents at the hearing touched upon the district’s average suspension rate of one in five compared to a New York State average suspension rate of one in 20.
Parents say it’s time for a change in policy.
“We know that it’s going to take a lot of support, a lot of collaboration on everybody’s part to develop policies to better protect our children, because these policies are antiquated and almost inhumane,” said Bryon McIntyre with Citizen Action of New York.
The BPS Associate Superintendent, Will Keresztes, agrees something needs to be done.
“Everyone agrees that in our school district, we’re suspending too many students, and we need to take a close look at those policies,” Keresztes said.
The Advisory Board will make their recommendations to the Superintendent and Buffalo Board of Education within a couple of weeks.
