Ask an Expert: Judy Goddess
Using California School Law To Advocate For Your Kids


I have an energetic kindergartener who's often in trouble at school. The principal is recommending suspension because recently my son saw me on the playground and started swinging the teacher's arm up and down to tell her. I think he's just a normal six-year-old boy who's being labeled a bad kid. How can I confirm whether he really needs such harsh measures? Can I review the school's suspension records?

Suspending a kindergartener is very extreme. You have my sympathy, because a bad stigma is hard to overcome.

By law, schools must report the number of students they suspend each year, although these figures represent the school as a whole, not a given grade level. You can find this information in the School Accountability Report Card, or SARC, available in hard copy from the main office or on the school's or district's Web site. Then ask other parents about the school's reputation for kindergarten suspensions in particular.

Next confront the issue directly. Schedule a meeting with the principal and teacher. Bring along someone who knows your son outside of school, such as his preschool teacher or the mother of a friend. You want to present more comprehensive picture of your child. Then, if there's another kindergarten class at the school, talk with the teacher. She or he may have a different temperament and teaching philosophy and might accept your child and his exuberance.

If you want to challenge the suspension, write to the district superintendent—or whoever's in charge of special education services—and request a special education assessment. That freezes the suspension (although it could bring on a different set of issues).

Finally, when you've settled this incident, review your son's school record. Parents have the right to request changes, deletions, and additions. If he doesn't deserve a negative label, you don't want it in there.