The New York City Department of Education revamped their approach to low-level disciplinary infractions from public school students. Under new provisions, counseling and peer mediation will replace harsher disciplinary actions such as suspension to address minor violations like cursing, smoking, tardiness and truancy.

This shift in policy looks to replace harsh punitive measures with more correctional justice. Sending a child back to his house does not guarantee he or she will be adequately supervised, especially in households where both parents are working. In the 2010-2011 school year, the number of issued suspensions in public schools rose by 2.4 percent from the year before, demonstrating disciplinary action’s ineffectiveness toward promoting behavioral change.

The DoE dropped harsh suspensions for cursing, yet stipulated a one-year suspension for a student who brings a firearm to school. This policy seems too lenient and insensitive to the possibility of violence and the psychological and mental well-being of students and teachers. The student may feel uncomfortable and insecure returning to an environment associated with trauma while fellow classmates may feel unsafe around the student because of his or her previous behavior.

And while counseling sessions and peer meetings offer students an opportunity to address misconduct without fear of disciplinary action, we are concerned that healthy alternatives aimed at solving personal issues will be viewed by students as a form of punishment similar to suspension. If counseling is perceived as consequence for problematic behavior and not a resource, then students may be discouraged from voluntarily seeking guidance. Schools should be wary of substituting psychologists for penalties.

That said, these reforms in disciplinary action are a mark of progress. Draconian suspensions for minor violations deny students of the most valuable asset of all: education.

Students’ responses to consequences of their misbehavior varies from rebellion to self-discipline, but cannot be relied upon as the sole agent of reform. Offering students the opportunity to speak with a guidance counselor in confidence may foster personal development, rather than ostracisizing sentiments. These reforms are a marked improvement in public school disciplinary policy, but they will need to be monitored as closely as the students’ behavior.

A version of this story appeared in the Monday, Sept. 10 print edition. Email the Editorial Board at [email protected].