A proposal to expand California’s ban on “willful defiance and disruption” suspensions in early elementary grades — so it includes all grades K-12 — is expected to be a topic of discussion as state lawmakers and the governor’s office work to hammer out a final budget deal.
This issue could be part of the budget talks for two reasons. First, Gov. Jerry Brown surprised youth and civil rights advocates working on the issue by including an extension of the current law, which only covers grades K-3, in his May Revision of his proposed 2018-19 budget.
Second, state Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, who authored a bill calling for the expansion of the ban to K-12 grades, is on the 10-member committee charged with reconciling various budget proposals by the Legislature’s June 15 deadline.
Skinner’s bill, SB 607, represents the third attempt this decade to outlaw in all grades defiance and disruption suspensions, which data overwhelmingly show are disproportionately meted out to African-American and Latino students and those with disabilities.
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