Greens against new suspension laws

By ELIZABETH DREYER
GIVING school principals more power over suspending students will not improve behavioural issues in schools, according to the ACT Greens.

ACT Greens Education Spokesperson Meredith Hunter MLA states that dealing with problematic behaviour is not about getting kids out of the school.

Under the old system, principals had the power to suspend children for up to five days, and any longer suspensions were referred to the Department of Education.

Ms Hunter said the Greens felt this was a good system, as it allowed for oversight from an external party.

The new policy allows principals to suspend students for a maximum of 15 days, which equates to almost one-third of a school term.

“Studies have shown that the longer a student is suspended from school, the greater the disengagement,” Ms Hunter said. “We need to be looking at other forms of intervention to tackle the problem.”

A number of schools in Canberra are currently trialling the Suspension Support Team pilot. This involves professionals working with students who have been suspended more than once or for more than three days.

Ms Hunter stated that allowing this trial to run for 12 months before discussing changes to legislation would have been a better approach, and that the new policy is “putting the cart before the horse.”

The Parents and Citizens Association is in agreement with the Greens, and is of the view that simply getting the child out of the school is not going solve the problem.

Canberra High School Principal Mr. Phil Beecher said that while the increased suspension power would not be used often, he appreciated having the flexibility.

He said that the new policy allowed principals to make a statement about the seriousness of the student’s actions, and that they may need that greater amount of time to properly deal with the situation.

“Even if we don’t use the full 15 days, sometimes five days may not be quite enough, so it allows us to be a little bit flexible,” he said.

Ms Hunter said that the ACT Greens were very disappointed with the decision.