California schools can no longer suspend students for being on their phones. Now what?
In middle school, Anthony Avila would stand up in class, talk to friends when he wasn’t supposed to and sling his legs across a second chair. His disruptive behavior got him sent to the office a lot, where he would sit in silence, often stewing.
Many educators and public interest groups pushed for the law because research shows that black, Native American and Latino students bore the brunt of harsh discipline practices. Suspensions failed to transform students’ behavior and they missed classes, fell farther behind and became more likely to drop out of high school. Now educators are embracing more supportive practices, such as the ones that helped turn Avila around.
There are many reasons for the racial divide in discipline, including differences in family income and teacher-reported behavior, education experts said. Students knew they wouldn’t be punished in the same way. But teachers did not appear to have the tools to address the underlying reasons for the behaviors, or build relationships and connect with students, he said.
Scott Martin-Rowe, who taught English language learners at a high school on the Miguel Contreras campus last year, said he dealt with a group of freshmen who repeatedly disrupted class. They would arrive half an hour late or skip out early — if they showed up at all. The group would sit together even though they were assigned seats apart. Students were constantly on their phones.
“I usually try to get to the bottom of, did something happen this morning? Are you hungry? … If a kid’s hungry, if a kid hasn’t slept, they’re really not going to be able to focus,” said Plascencia, who said that growing up in nearby Pacoima has helped her empathize with students.
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