How High School Suspensions Cost BILLIONS

A very common high school punishment is actually costing the country billions. A study indicates that students, who get suspended, are less likely to graduate high school, and then become much less productive adults. Cenk Uygur and Ana Kasparian, hosts of The Young Turks, break it down. Tell us what you think in the comment section below.

“When students get suspended from school for a few days, they may not be the only ones who miss out.

A report released today by UCLA's Civil Rights Project tries for the first time to quantify the full social cost of so-called "exclusionary discipline."

The authors calculate that suspensions in just one year of school — 10th grade — contributed to 67,000 students eventually dropping out of high school. And that, they conclude, generates total costs to the nation of more than $35 billion.

Russell Rumberger, a co-author of the study and a professor emeritus at the University of California, Santa Barbara, says that number is conservative. "That's just for a single year."

Hosts: Cenk Uygur, Ana Kasparian

Cast: Cenk Uygur, Ana Kasparian

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Young Turk (n), 1. Young progressive or insurgent member of an institution, movement, or political party. 2. Young person who rebels against authority or societal expectations. (American Heritage Dictionary)

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[afaegfsgsdef]

Schools suspend kids for anything... which stops them from learning if they are not allowed to attend class

I was once suspended for skipping class... because that makes sense, right?

[MilitantAntiTheist]

I got suspended once in Junior High, some bully kid who was always harassing me decided to beat me up, and this guy probably threw 5 punches before I decided to fight back. The school administrators didn't care who started the "fight" we were both suspended. It still makes my blood boil to this day as I had no choice but to be in that situation.

[rcowboy]

I left high school my junior year, worked odd jobs until I got my GED at twenty. Eventually at twenty seven I went to an automotive tech school while working two jobs and worked my way up to a comfortable living. Leaving school isn't a dead end as long as you are willing to turn things around.

[Mrmoe]

What a weird way of punishing a student. They shouldn't get denied the ability to go to school, that will just further delay learning. Suspension as an idea is not wise, in and of itself.

[MrANTIeggman]

Guys. Just do what some schools in Canada do.

In-school-suspensions

You have someone do their school work in a monitored room (my school had it in a shared room with learning disability students). Give them a lunch break presto.

[Loathomar]

Props on "correlation /= causation"... I hate when people don't understand the difference.

[randyrandalman]

I never understood how suspensions is 'punishing' the students - they misbehave and don't have to go to school!

[ArcticTemper]

In my experience suspension never worked, guys just came back acting like a badass and girls came back happy after a week of snacking, shopping and chilling out. Mandatory Extra PE and Indefinite Daily after-school Detention got the job done much better.

[SomeOne]

The US obsession with suspensions has always been baffling to me. You seem to suspend kids for basically anything. I'd say the only valid reason is if they're being violent.

[BionicDance]

I can't imagine them thinking it's a mystery why kids my skip class.
Let's see...sit in a boring-ass classroom where I don't want to be, or hang out somewhere having fun. Gee. Which sounds more appealing?

[brianna_]

My sister's boyfriend was suspended because he accidentally threw a football at a teacher...WHEN SHE WAS STANDING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FIELD. He was suspended on our last day of school and won't come back three weeks after the next school year begins.

[chiconian]

It's all bull-shit. I was suspended for three days when caught by a teacher smoking in the boy's rest room. So What? All my dad said is that I was dumb for getting caught. I got 3 days off and later graduated HS and went onto college. I have never been arrested. The biggest effect it had was not on me, it was on the school who lost funding from the state for the 3 days I was suspended. What did I do for the three days I was suspended? I painted the neighbors house and made $ while the school lost $. It was a win/win for me and a loose/loose for the school. LOL

[VenezuelaNow]

When I was a kid suspensions didn't happen, the principals and teachers knew we wanted a break from school, so we got the belt in the principal's office and got sent back to class. None of my friends dropped out of school...

[residentevilfreak]

I found HS suspensions stupid at to some extent such as when students get in a fight and get suspended like what are they going to learn from their mistake by staying home ? Why not make those students take peer meditation and do detention that would make them see more that they did a mistake and shouldn't do it again

[pharaohatem]

lmao bruh I get caught skipping class and I don't get to talk about my feelings

[aspcia]

My kid's elementary is starting intervention measures to reach those at risk youth before they get to middle school. It's pretty awesome.

[blueman]

Cenk got this completely right, this study suffers from the classic correlation is not causation fallacy.

[atwitchyferret]

Skipping class leading to suspension always made me tilt my head in confusion. Like, he didn't go to some classes, so make it so he doesn't go to any class for a week. Absolutely stupid.

[videtoile]

Speaking as someone who was a part of the Restorative Justice program in high school, I can say it was one of the best ways of getting students and teachers alike to open up to one another's perspectives and work to repair relationships between one another. It got people thinking about what their actions may have caused, it got the air clear, and it was and is one of the only ways I would advocate to be instated around schools.

[Sjono]

Your punishment for skipping class is being forced to skip school for a couple of days. Makes sense