Student members of the Teen Activist Project and members of an ad hoc district committee urged the Buffalo Board of Education on June 18 to adopt discipline reforms that would reduce or eliminate suspensions for very young learners and replace punitive responses with restorative, supportive approaches.

Quinn Carroll, speaking for the Teen Activist Project, described student involvement in district community meetings and said the group sent a letter to Superintendent Tanya Williams Knight and interim superintendent Dr. Kerestes proposing specific code-of-conduct language. Carroll read part of the students’ letter at the meeting: “We are asking for the current suspension practices and policies to be replaced with effective methods…We believe that we should get rid of suspensions for grades pre-K through third grade,” Carroll said, quoting the students’ text.

Community member and ad hoc committee participant Katlyn Kroll described the committee’s makeup—administrators, principals, community advocates, teachers, parents, PTO representatives and students—and said the group had drafted language aimed at addressing disparities that disproportionately affect students of color, students with disabilities, English learners and low-income students. Kroll told the board she was “thrilled to hear” that Superintendent Williams Knight had approved the committee’s proposed language and urged the board to adopt the language and supporting implementation ideas this summer, including training and resources for teachers and families.

Speakers emphasized alternatives that keep students in the classroom and prioritize supportive interventions. Board members took public comment and acknowledged promise in the ad hoc committee’s work; no formal policy vote was taken at the meeting.