Minister to review school discipline
Alberta’s education minister said he’ll consider collecting provincial data on school suspensions and expulsions.
Minister David Eggen said he was encouraged to see the number of suspensions declining in Edmonton public and Catholic schools in coverage by the Journal connected to a Freedom of Information request for discipline data.
In 2015-16, there was nearly one suspension for every 10 junior high and high school students enrolled in Edmonton Public Schools. Five per cent of Edmonton Catholic students in Grade 7 to 12 were suspended at least once last year. The boards track numbers differently.
“We want to make sure there’s clarity on why and how suspensions and expulsions are being used,” Eggen said in an interview.
Eggen recently announced changes to the province’s attendance board to be more preventive than punitive by creating an office of student attendance and engagement to intervene before school boards resort to attendance hearings.
“You can see my intentions with my choice around the attendance board to have it less of a quasi-judicial court proceeding, and looking for alternative engagement. It might be an interesting extension to suspensions and expulsions, as well,” Eggen said.
Eggen, who had a 20-year teaching career before politics, said suspensions, expulsions and atten- dance issues are often interrelated.
The long-used disciplinary practice of kicking kids out of school lacks universal endorsement. Research has found out-of-school suspensions and expulsions are rarely effective at improving a student’s behaviour, and may further alienate them from school.
Despite detailed annual tracking of student performance and surveys of parent, student and educator perceptions of the school system, Alberta does not compile or publish any data about student discipline.
Given research that shows suspensions are disproportionately meted out to minorities, Ontario has devised a provincial strategy to prevent bias in discipline. Edmonton school districts do not track racial data on students in trouble.
Schools are responsible for more than reading, writing and arithmetic, and must care for the well-being of the whole child, Eggen said.
“Sometimes you’re trying to ensure the safety and integrity of the school and class, and sometimes — it’s never an easy decision by any means. It just reminded me of what dynamic places high schools are in Alberta, and how hard it is to make sure you’re using the right tool at the right time for the kids, and the families, too.”