Cord Byrd: “Many young people in our schools today are suspended for bad behavior, somewhat unlike the days when I was in high…”

“Many young people in our schools today are suspended for bad behavior, somewhat unlike the days when I was in high school. They took care of the bad ones right there on the spot when I was there. But today a lot of them are suspended. A number of children in our schools are expelled for violent or dangerous behavior. And I am all for that. I am all for suspensions and expulsions where warranted, but what then? In today's home, all too often, both parents work. The suspended or expelled student may be left to his or her own devices. Many counties send expelled students to alternative schools, but alternative schools do not always follow the same procedure, the same schedule as regular public schools, again leaving children on their own for portions of the school day. And an idle mind is the devil's workshop. An idle young person with no supervision is a child who can easily get into trouble. A violent young person expelled for serious breaches of behavior could even be a menace to the community at large. Some children actually misbehave in school, I am told, in the hopes of being suspended or expelled with the notion that they will be able to enjoy a brief respite from their school classes. The amendment which I have offered and which has now been modified would encourage States to create a program that enrolls suspended and expelled youth in community service programs.”