Teachers Are Revealing The Things About Education That No One Wants To Admit But Are 100% True

"Just because suspensions are down doesn't mean behaviors have improved."

""I was at a school where they said at a staff meeting as a 'celebration' that office referrals were down. A teacher who DNGAF proceeded to respond, 'Well yes, because you took away the online referral form and it took you three weeks to give us a new paper form.'""

Declines in suspensions and office referrals can result from changes in reporting procedures rather than improvements in student behavior. Removing or disrupting an online referral form can reduce recorded incidents if staff lack an accessible alternative. Celebratory responses to falling referral numbers can mask administrative causes that interfere with data collection. Teachers may explicitly attribute lower counts to reporting barriers rather than better behavior. Interpretation of discipline metrics should consider reporting accessibility, staff training, and administrative delays. Reliable discipline data require consistent reporting processes, audits, and attention to whether numbers reflect behavior or procedural artifacts.

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