Our Children Are Being Suspended For Petty Reasons – Forcing Black Parents To Take Off From Work And Sometimes Lose Their Jobs
Journalism
Charles Bell, Illinois State University
When “Mike,” the father of a ninth grade student, got a call from his daughter’s school, the first thing he asked was: “How important is this?”
“They said, ‘Well, it’s important,’” Mike told me during an interview for my research.
When Mike went to his daughter’s school to see what was the problem, school officials told him his daughter was being suspended for giving a boy a hug. He ended up missing out on some of his hourly wages to deal with the situation.
“I was like, ‘Nah. Not only am I missing out on some hours at work, I’m missing out on some important meetings, and also commitments that I have made, to come up here and talk about suspensions, a five-day suspension for giving somebody a hug,” Mike told me. “That’s one of the thi...