C. Twiggy Billue

Suspended for Life: the Road to Unemployment Crime and Death C. Twiggy Billue

SUSPENDED FOR LIFE takes an empirical look via real experiences at how Zero Tolerance Policies contained in the schools "Code of Conduct " disregards the rights of the student, especially students with disabilities. These policies are failing students everywhere including my residence of Syracuse New York. Statistically these unfair and biased Zero Tolerance policies has led to a very high suspension rates affecting mainly, inner-city students but overwhelmingly target students with IEPs, 504 Accommodations, the "untested but suspected LD student " and the intellectually gifted student. Healthcare, Mental Health and Medical Privacy (HIPAA) now play large roles in school especially in decisions to suspend a student however coupled with a school districts Code of Conduct they have become a crucial aspect for suspension. Once you understand the link between a referral to "In-School-Suspension (ISS-warehousing students) or a referral for Out-of-School Suspension (OSS- push out of students) you will realize that in most cases suspension can lead directly to the prison industrial complex for our young men. Stopping this from happening to your student may depend on how well you are prepared to advocate for your child. We must not allow suspension to push out our children because ostensibly it may be ensuring them a life sentence of unemployment, crime, or even death. We say it starts at home with the parents, so if we can better understand our student's rights and the rights we have as parents we can better prepare ourselves to advocate for our student and to hold the school district accountable for the education of our Children!