Exclusionary discipline is a form of discipline within schools such as suspensions that result in the student being out of school. These punishments have been used for many years and gained lots of traction in the 1980s when Zero-Tolerance practices became more mainstream.

Although exclusionary discipline was used with the intention of keeping schools safe and motivating disciplined students to improve their behavior, it often fails to do so. Exclusionary practices have been proven to have adverse effects, including worse academic performance and less care for academics.

When students are suspended, they can miss school for a few days to weeks. This often results in their inability to do their schoolwork and take their quizzes and exams, pushing them further behind their peers. This can cause the students to have little regard for their school work as it can seem impossible for them to catch up. According to neaTODAY, studies have shown that students who are suspended are more likely to drop out than students who do not get suspended.

Instead of using these practices, schools need to learn to address the root problems of these behaviors and invest resources into non-exclusionary discipline. Examples of this alternative form of discipline include teacher conferences, meetings between students and their counselors, as well as community service. These examples keep students in classrooms and learning while also working to prevent more misbehavior.

Cobb County has previously been shown to rely on exclusionary disciplines for students that disproportionately impact Black students compared to White students, and as somebody who has been in the county for nearly a decade, it is apparent how these disciplines continue to play a role.

Education is a crucial component in one’s success, not only because of the doors that it opens into higher education and professional careers, but also because of the growth that students can achieve through the work ethic that schooling requires. I believe that every student deserves to have access to an education that allows for that growth, and overreliance on exclusionary disciplines works against this vision.

I urge you and others to join me to convince Cobb County to work towards the increased use of non-exclusionary discipline. Sign this petition now so that together we can create a system that does not punish the results of problems but instead solves problems.

(This petition was written by a TPW 2025 student)