Ontario to ban suspensions for children in Grade 3 and below in efforts to rid education system of racism
Ontario will stop suspending children from junior kindergarten to Grade 3, a practice that has been shown to disproportionately impact Black students.
Removing suspensions for students from those grades will “empower all children to achieve their potential,” said Minister of Education Stephen Lecce in a statement.
“It is clear there is systemic discrimination built within the education system, whether it be streaming of racialized students, suspensions overwhelmingly targeting Black and Indigenous kids, or the lack of merit-based diversity within our education workforce,” said Lecce’s statement. “This government will move quickly and decisively to combat systemic racism so that every child – irrespective of colour of skin, heritage, faith or ability – can have a fighting chance at success.”
A 2017 study by Carl James, the Jean Augustine chair in education, community, and diaspora at York University, reported Black students were more than twice as likely as other racialized and white students to be suspended at least once before graduating from high school. The study suggested 42 per cent of Black students were suspended at least once by the time they graduated high school, compared to 15 per cent for other racialized students and 18 per cent for white students.
James said the ban on suspensions is an important step in eliminating racism in education.
“Removing suspensions will be in the interests of all students and in the interests of Black students in particular,” said James.
He said suspending students affects their educational trajectory, because they are unable to sit in their classrooms and learn.
This issue was highlighted in a third-party review of Ontario’s Peel District School Board (PDSB) in February that revealed dysfunction among school administrators who were incapable of dealing with anti-Black racism. The review found the PDSB board of trustees was struggling to govern effectively, and it said there were frequent disrespectful interactions between trustees and the public.
The review found Black students make up 10.2 per cent of the high school population in the PDSB, but they represent 22.5 per cent of the students receiving suspensions. Reviewers mentioned they heard anecdotal evidence from many people that Black students received harsher punishments.
Lecce said the new measure should prevent incidents such as the one involving a young Black girl handcuffed and suspended for misbehaving at a Mississauga elementary school in 2016. Police were called to Nahani Way Public School after a teacher claimed the girl had been assaulting students and staff.
He said the government’s changes will be made through legislation and regulatory reform.
“It’s long overdue, (and) will improve to break down systemic barriers that exist within the system of education,” he said.
California banned students from kindergarten to Grade 3 for being suspended for minor misbehaviour in 2014. A study at the Civil Rights Project at the University of California at Los Angeles found this measure led to lower rates of suspension and higher academic achievement for every race. California has expanded this measure to include students from Grade four to eight, and it took effect on Wednesday.
