Advocates urge New Hanover County Schools to limit suspensions of 5–7‑year‑olds after district discipline review

At the New Hanover County Board of Education’s October meeting, parents, advocates and some board members urged the district to change its short‑term suspension practices for the youngest students, especially 5‑, 6‑ and 7‑year‑olds, and asked staff for additional discipline data and policy options.

The appeals followed a presentation of the district’s 2024–25 discipline data by district staff. Julie Barnum, the staff presenter, told the board the district recorded 20,733 incident entries in PowerSchool for the year, of which 2,603 were attributed to kindergarten through second grade. Barnum said the district logged 4,530 in‑school suspension assignments (61 for K–2), 2,428 short‑term suspension assignments (93 for K–2) and 152 reportable offenses (five for K–2). She also said disciplinary reassignments to JC Rowe Academy rose to 126 and long‑term suspensions were four.

Why it matters: speakers framed the issue as one of both student safety and long‑term equity. Commenters and advocates argued that young children—particularly those whose behavior stems from stress or developmental factors—should receive supports and mental‑health consultation before being…