Oakland to Ban School Suspensions For Defiant Behavior

The Oakland Unified School District has become the fourth California school district to phase out defiant behavior as a reason to suspend students in grades 4-12.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that Oakland's school board voted unanimously on Wednesday night to no longer allow teachers and administrators to kick students out of class for talking back, ignoring orders and other non-violent acts.

School officials in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Pasadena already prohibit suspensions for so-called ``willful defiance.'' Civil and child rights advocates have been lobbying for such changes based on statistics showing that minority students are disproportionately punished for disobedience.

A first-of-its-kind law that took effect in California at the beginning of the year prevents public schools from suspending pupils in kindergarten through 3rd grade for willful defiance.