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The Impact of School Mental Health Services on Out-of-School Suspension Rates

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Abstract

The current study investigated whether the presence of school-based mental health clinicians in an urban school district was associated with reduced out-of-school suspension rates. Forty one elementary schools with expanded school mental health (ESMH) programs were compared to 41 schools without ESMH programs. Correlational analyses revealed associations between suspension outcomes and several school-level demographic variables including school attendance rate, percent of students in poverty, and percent of nonwhite students in the school. After controlling for these variables, however, results of stepwise linear regressions demonstrated no significant differences between ESMH and non-ESMH schools on suspension outcomes. Results of the current study suggest that the presence of ESMH clinicians will not necessarily impact suspension rates in an elementary school. Targeted and well-implemented approaches to address behaviors that lead to suspension, or school- and system-level policies to provide alternatives to suspensions, will likely be a better route to achieving this outcome.

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Correspondence to Mark D. Weist.

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Bruns, E.J., Moore, E., Stephan, S.H. et al. The Impact of School Mental Health Services on Out-of-School Suspension Rates. J Youth Adolescence 34, 23–30 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-005-1333-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-005-1333-z

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