Promoting Inclusive and Equitable Futures: The Trauma Informed Practices for Preschool (TIPPS) Project aims to increase public awareness of the preschool to prison pipeline.

The preschool to prison pipeline refers to the increased likelihood that children who experience exclusionary discipline in school will be involved in the juvenile and criminal justice system. This document describes common exclusionary discipline practices in school. 

Types of Exclusionary Discipline

Exclusion

School staff isolates a child within or outside their classroom. 

Example: A teacher may:

• move a child to a quiet area in the classroom with pillows and fidget toys if they are not following directions.
• send a child to the administrator ’s office if they are not following directions or if they are feeling upset.
• take a child for a walk or have someone take them to another part of the building if they start to get upset.

Suspension

A child is temporarily removed from a school.

Example: A school may suspend a child from attending school for a few days if the child used inappropriate language toward the teacher or has poor attendance.

Soft or Informal Expulsion

A child is permanently removed from a school without a formal meeting, written notice, or official disciplinary hearing. 

Example: A school may softly or informally expel a child when they make so many calls to caregivers about a child’s behavior. This makes it hard for families to keep their child enrolled.

Expulsion 

A child is permanently removed from a school.

Example: A school may expel a child who repeatedly damages school property, even after receiving warnings and suspensions.

Responding to Difficult Times

Almost always, children show signs or behaviors that tell adults how they feel or what they need. If a child thinks the adult “doesn’t get” these signs, the child is likely to use higher energy and act out more — “reaching their boiling point” — so they feel heard and understood.

• This is hard for the child because they have a need.
• This is hard for the adult because they may not know how to respond or may have other students who need their attention.

A stressed adult reacting to the child may lead to:

• A negative experience and exclusion
  Example: Yelling at the child and sending them to a different area of the classroom
  Example: Not letting a child go with peers to the weekly music class because they cried during circle time
• A positive response that could lead to inclusion
  Example: Calming activity for the adult, such as a breathing exercise or 1 minute affirmation moment, then offering the child a sensory toy or a movement game before they reach their “boiling point”

Note: There is still exclusion if the child is separated from the other children while using the sensory tool. However, an educator taking a child with another child or small group of children and all children using sensor y tools or doing a sensory activity could help settle the child while promoting inclusion.

Impact of Exclusionary Discipline Practices

Removing children from ECE settings increases their risk of becoming less interested in school, not doing their schoolwork, and showing behaviors of feeling left out or misunderstood. These things can lead to long term problems, like difficulty finding work or getting into trouble with the law.

Rules around Exclusionary Discipline in PA

Some preschools, like Head Start classrooms, follow specific discipline policies (detailed below). Many preschools have their own discipline policies and do not publicize them.
 
There are more formal disciplinary guidelines for K-12 schools. In Pennsylvania, a child may be suspended for 1-10 consecutive school days. A child cannot be suspended until they have been notified of the reasons for the suspension. 

A  PDF of Pennsylvania School Discipline Laws and Regulations is available on the National Center for Safe Supportive Learning Environments website [22 Pa. Code § 12.6].

In 2014, the Department of Education (DOE) wrote five guiding principles to create safe and inclusive school climates. Guiding Principles for Creating Safe,Inclusive, Supportive, and Fair School Climates is available as a PDF on the DOE website. The principles are:

1. Create a sense of belonging through a welcoming environment.
2. Support the needs of all children using strategies that are proven to work.
3. Support teaching and learning by providing opportunities for educators to grow and improve.
4. Recruit and keep a diverse group of educators.
5. Use fair discipline policies that treat children with respect.

The Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) provides individualized support to ECE programs, including coaching. OCDEL also offers guidelines to help centers maintain safety and inclusion. 

*A PDF of a letter with announcement of Reduction of Expulsion and Suspension in Early Childhood Programs in Pennsylvania is available on The Pennsylvania Key website.

For help with a reference, email: iodres@temple.edu.

Disciplinary Approaches and Policies by School Type

1. The Pennsylvania Code webpage: Chapter 171. Standards For Approved  Private Schools