Leslie Lieberman, staff to the Philadelphia ACE Task Force, wrote this letter to the editor about the end of kindergarten suspensions in the Philadelphia School District:
Curtailing K suspensions a good first step
The School District of Philadelphia will no longer use suspension to discipline some of its youngest and most vulnerable students ("SRC curtails kindergarten suspensions," Friday). The Health Federation of Philadelphia applauds this decision, which is grounded in a growing understanding that many challenging behaviors that precipitate suspensions have their roots in exposure to trauma and toxic stress.
For more than a decade, the Health Federation, with partners involved in the Philadelphia ACE Task Force, has worked with the district to integrate an approach called trauma-informed care. Under such care, organizations and systems recognize the prevalence and impact of trauma and address and mitigate it.
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