ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Parents, students and advocates are taking on Albany in an effort to suspend suspensions.

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Parents, students and advocates are taking on Albany in an effort to suspend suspensions

The Children’s Agenda says suspensions are harmful to students’ education and says they do not improve student behavior

Parents, students and advocates traveled to Albany seeking support for “Solutions Not Suspensions” bill

“We are fighting for the ‘Solutions Not Suspensions’ bill to be passed,” said The Children’s Agenda’s Isabel Rosa, who was among those making a trip to Albany on Monday.

“We’re advocating on behalf of all the children in New York state, and youth, that attend public schools,” Rosa said. “To have better solutions other than being suspended from school because we know that suspension doesn’t have any benefit.”

Rosa is among those looking for support for the bill that calls for changes in New York state school suspension policies.

“We’ve been lobbying for this bill and it’s a bill that really just ensures that young people are able to experience school in a way that just focuses on the academics and doesn’t punish them for disciplinary things,” said program coordinator Yussuf Amadi.

“We get it. We should not suspend kids. We should give them some solutions. But they’re too light on solutions,” said the president of the Rochester Teachers Association, Adam Urbanski. He says while the bill calls for limiting suspensions, it offers little in the way of actual solutions.

For him, the most effective solution is providing the staff that can serve the needs of the students.

“So, I think any child that is not doing well currently deserves services that would help the child to do well,” Urbanski said. “And if that’s not doable at the school, at the regular school, then they need alternatives to that.”

Urbanski says those alternatives could be a separation to another part of the building or a different building where the social workers and other experts can help the student and provide education at the same time.

“So, an in-school suspension would be a good thing,” said grandparent Ana Ramos. “I am a grandmother, advocating for in-school suspension instead of sending the children home where they are going to be alone.”

The Children’s Agenda says suspensions are harmful to students’ education and says they do not improve student behavior.

“We really, really hope to get all the support we can from our legislators and our elected officials, so that this bill could be presented in front of the governor and we can get it passed,” said Rosa.

This bill is sponsored by state Assemblymember Michaelle Solages. It currently sits in committee. Lawmakers don’t have much to move on the issue with the legislative session set to end on June 4.