The Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE) hosted two workshops yesterday, designed to assist local school districts in reducing student suspensions. The workshops were attended by a total of nearly 150 school and district representatives from five counties.
Legal expert Carol Cobin discussed the legal aspects of discipline in the first workshop, focusing on special education and recent updates to the law. The second workshop featured Paul Osincup, a conflict resolution and restorative justice consultant. He discussed alternatives to suspension and expulsion, reminding districts to balance the legal aspects of discipline with the common sense approaches of engaging students and building relationships with families.
“We are trying to find more ways to help kids thrive in our schools,” said SCOE Assistant Superintendent Matt Perry. “We know that by reducing the number of suspensions, we can help more students succeed.”
In addition to the services SCOE already offers school districts across the county, it is developing an expanded suite of services to help reduce suspensions. The services will launch starting in January 2019.