Seattle stops suspensions for elementary students

SEATTLE (AP) — The Seattle School Board has declared a one-year moratorium on out-of-school suspensions for elementary school students who commit nonviolent offenses.

The Seattle Times reports that board passed a resolution Wednesday to start the moratorium this school year.

The resolution ends out-of-school suspensions for disruptive conduct, rule breaking and disobedience. Data shows that in the 2014-15 school year, 146 elementary students were suspended for such offenses. Those offenses make up about a fourth of all elementary-student suspensions.

The district says it hopes the resolution will help make discipline more consistent from school to school.

The resolution also calls for the district to make a plan by next year for how to significantly reduce suspensions for all grade levels and a way to collect data on the suspensions that do occur.