BUFFALO, N.Y. — Local parents and advocates gathered Friday at Buffalo City Hall to release a new report on what they say is a suspension crisis within Buffalo Public Schools.
The group argues that BPS unfairly targets low income students, those with disabilities, and students of color. The new report offers what they call solutions instead of suspensions.
This comes during the National Week of Action Against School Pushout, which is an an effort to get schools to move away from punishments that force kids to miss school.
Jessica Bauer-Walker, a BPS parent at director at Community Health Worker Network of Buffalo, discussed the report's findings.
"We are trying to highlight with our colleagues across the country that this is not an issue just in Buffalo. This is actually an issue across the country, and so we want to make sure our kids are not getting pushed out of school," Bauer-Walker said.
"The school to prison pipeline is real, so not only do we have this new updated white paper with new data and recommendations, we're also in solidarity with our colleagues and families across the country who are saying keep our kids in school."
After holding several public meetings, Buffalo Public Schools updated this year's code of conduct to implement more restorative disciplinary practices. Last month, the district said less than one percent of the district's 30,000 students were suspended.
BPS issued a statement on Friday, saying:
"These advocates know and understand better than most that suspending a student is a last resort; however, the district will always take the necessary actions to maintain a safe learning environment for all students and staff. Annually, the district intentionally held multiple public meetings to gather community input and update its 2024-25 Code of Conduct. The district has implemented a progressive tiered approach to discipline that incorporates restorative practices and is outlined in our Code of Conduct. During the month of September this year, 99.61% and 98.55% of our almost 30,000 students have not received a long-term or short-term suspension, respectively."