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Superintendent Strives To Inspire At Start Of New Year

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Miami-Dade Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho took to the stage of the Knight Concert Hall at the Adrienne Arsht Performing Arts Center to inspire school board members, administrators and educators with his plan for the upcoming school year.

In his address, Carvalho told the gathering that it was important to pay attention to all of the aspects in a child's life to keep them in school.

School attendance will be a top priority this year, according to Carvalho. Schools will be stressing the importance of students being in class. Carvalho said suspending students, which takes them out of class, can make matters worse.

"Research tells us that once you're suspended, the likelihood of being suspended time and time again grows dramatically," said Carvalho.

The superintendent then announced that they would be eliminating outdoor suspensions.

"Too often, those children who are most challenged, most misunderstood, who need us the most are the same children who act out or have difficulty behaving, and more often than not, especially if you are a boy, if you happen to have special needs, or you happen to be of color, you are going to be suspended," said Carvalho. "This year, we are eliminating traditional outdoor suspensions in our schools, we are re-thinking discipline and we are redesigning and reframing our approach to alternative education. Because it makes sense. I'll tell you what doesn't make sense, the idea that depriving a child of his education as a consequence for bad behavior will somehow help the situation. It doesn't.

"My mission as a principal is to keep kids in school. My number one goal is to look for innovative ways to support the superintendent's agenda," said Raymond Sands, Principal of North Glade Elementary.

Carvalho said this year the district will strive to align behavioral support systems and protocals to shift their focus so they can pro-actively identify at-risk kids so that they can intervene earlier.

The superintendent said while "reading, writing and 'rithmetic" will remain top priorities, the students must also be taught the other "three r's" - respect, restraint and responsibility.

"These are lessons, important lessons, that must begin at home and in the houses of worship and the community centers," said Carvalho.

"Sometimes we forget that part of education is as important as the curriculum and we bring that up to everyone's attention," said South Hialeah Elementary School Principal Denise Vigoa. "It's going to make a very big difference this year."

Carvalho also spoke about areas that would expanding this year, like district clinics at new sites, free immunizations for students in nearly 150 schools and digital convergence in which they will be rolling out another 32,000 devices to students and offering WiFi in every school.

The new school year begins next Monday.

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