In School Suspensions Delayed For the Year

The Connecticut Assembly voted late last Friday night to delay the implementation of the state's in school suspension requirement until July 2010.

The move was pushed by school officials across the state, including both Norwalk's former Superintendent Sal Corda and Interim Superintendent William Papallo, who argued that new law was required additional resources like staffing and space.

The Hartford Currant reported that the cause was taken up by Connecticut Senate Republicans who claimed that the initiative is an unfunded mandate:

"Given this economy, it doesn't make sense for us to be adding programs that aren't fully funded," Republican Sen. Michael McLachlan said during the Senate's debate over a new state budget package Friday.

According to the paper Republicans will press for another delay next year.

But Senate Democrats are warning that this is the final extension:

"We gave an extension in 2007 when the schools said they weren't ready yet. Now they're calling it an unfunded mandate, and we're giving them another year," said Democratic Sen. Thomas Gaffey, co-chair of the education committee. "I can tell you the feeling in my caucus is that they're not going to get another one. Keeping kids in school is good for the kids."

Norwalk's Assistant Superintendent Tony Daddona agrees. "It is always best to keep our students within a learning environment," he told me in an e-mail. "I will incorporate in the 2010/11 budget the opportunity to have an in school suspension at the high school."

Daddona says NPS has a Code of Conduct that serves as a guide for administrators when deciding how and when a student needs to be suspended. According to him in high school all suspension are out of school, however there are alternatives to suspension such as Saturday detention. Principals in middle schools and elementary schools have the discretion to have suspensions in school or out of school.

The in school suspension law, which went into effect on July 1, 2009, requires that students who are disciplined serve their suspension in their school rather than being sent home. The requirement for in-school suspension does not apply to students who are a deemed a threat to safety. The law also extends the number of days a student can be suspended from 5 to 10 days.

The requirement for in-school suspension has been controversial. The legislation was passed in 2007 as Connecticut Public Act 07-66 and signed into law by Gov. Jodi Rell. Originally slated to go into effect July 1, 2008 the implementation date was delayed to July 1, 2009 after school superintendents across the state protested that the new law was going to require additional staff.

Now it's been delayed again.