Teachers have long warned that since the COVID pandemic, student behavior has worsened, which can lead to temporary or permanent dismissals. But in California, the law prohibits suspensions and expulsions at any preschool receiving state funding, with some exceptions. Now some educators are looking for solutions.
An estimated 17,000 children — or 250 each day — are expelled from preschool annually in the U.S., says childhood development and education reporter Jenny Gold.
She says it’s often caused by some sort of aggression, such as biting, kicking, pushing, or, as some teachers put it, acting defiantly.
In certain cases, as Gold points out, suspensions and expulsions disproportionately happen to kids of color and those with disabilities. That’s part of the reason why California passed these policies.
“It makes it much more difficult for preschool programs to suspend or expel. They have to go through a whole protocol, and parents have a right to appeal. That's a process that educators say can take six months or more, at which point the child may have actually aged out of the program.”
It’s not always easy to draw the line between typical preschooler conduct and the type of behaviors that educators can’t handle. There’s also the possibility of long-term harm. “Kids who are expelled are more likely to later drop out of high school or even be incarcerated. And for families, it can present an immediate child care and economic emergency.”
Gold says teachers understand the harm of suspensions and expulsions, but they also don’t know what to do now. They’re forced to figure out a way to make things work with unruly students. She says that includes separating a child from a group to help them calm down.
“In small programs where there might only be one permitted teacher, that teacher has to be with the rest of the group, and they can't leave to be separated with another child who needs help.”
However, the situation may look a bit different in larger programs: “Maybe they have enough permitted staff to take one child on the walk, take them out to the playground, help them get better regulated before bringing them back into the classroom environment.”
So what’s the solution? Gold says the state of California has offered additional funding for mental health consultants to come into the classroom and provide support during stressful situations.