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RESOLUTION URGING THE FLORIDA EDUCATION COMMISSIONER TO REVIEW OUT-OF-SCHOOL SUSPENSION IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS

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WHEREAS, data collected by the U.S. Department of Education�s Office of Civil Rights shows minority students face harsher school discipline, with African American boys far more likely to be suspended or expelled from school than their peers; and
WHEREAS, the newest data available from a 2009 survey of public schools show African American students make up 18 percent of the sample population but 35 percent of the total who are suspended at least once, and 39 percent who are expelled; and
WHEREAS, under Florida law, out-of-school suspension is the temporary removal of a student from all classes of instruction on public school grounds and all other school-sponsored activities, except as authorized by the principal or the principal's designee, for a period not to exceed ten (10) school days and remanding of the student to the custody of the student's parent with specific homework assignments for the student to complete; and
WHEREAS, in-school suspension is the temporary removal of a student from the student's regular school program and placement in an alternative program under the supervision of school district personnel for a period not to exceed ten (10) school days; and
WHEREAS, Florida law leaves it up to local school officials to determine whether and when to issue out-of-school as opposed to in-school suspensions; and
WHEREAS, in-school suspension does not deprive students of the educational experience by providing a disciplinary consequence within the learning environment; and
WHEREAS, through in-school suspension, students still have access to required coursework, teacher input, and adult guidance to continue to make academic progress; and
WHEREAS, studies have shown that in-school suspension may help reduce the dropout rate; and
WHEREAS, in-school suspension also may help reduce the daytime juvenile crime rate; and
WHEREAS, data from the Miami-Dade County Public Schools indicates that while both out-of-school and in-school suspensions have declined in the last three years, African American students receive out-of-school suspension at a higher rate than Hispanic or White students; and
WHEREAS, the Superintendent of the Miami-Dade County Public Schools recently empanelled an Ad Hoc Committee to review the Code of Student Conduct, including the use of out-of-school and in-school suspension; and
WHEREAS, this Board would like to commend the Superintendent for undertaking this effort, and would urge the Florida Education Commissioner to undertake a similar review,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA, that:
Section 1. Urges the Florida Education Commissioner to review out-of-school suspension in public schools.
Section 2. Directs the Clerk of the Board to transmit certified copies of the resolution to the Governor, Senate President, House Speaker, the Chair and Members of the Miami-Dade State Legislative Delegation and the Florida Education Commissioner.
Section 3. Directs the County's state lobbyists to advocate for the issue identified in section 1 above, and authorizes and directs the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs to include this item in the 2013 state legislative package when it is presented to the Board.