Thinking Beyond Punishment – Why Supportive Discipline Makes a Difference in Schools

Across New Hampshire, schools are discovering a powerful truth—we can’t suspend our way out of youth substance use. While rules and boundaries are critical, traditional responses like suspension can do the opposite of fixing the issue.

It happens every day: a student is caught vaping at school, and they are suspended and sent home for several days. What happens next—are they likely to stop vaping? Will they be able to salvage their grades once they return? How will their sense of self be impacted when their peers and teachers see that they were suspended?

When a student struggles with substances like nicotine or cannabis, they often feel at a loss, ashamed, and angry. Isolation at home or time spent in a room away from the mainstream of the school can push them further away and deepen those feelings that may be the reason they started in the first place. We now know that removing kids from the classroom can actually increase the risk of them dropping out entirely and/or contribute to the development of a substance use disorder.

Instead of simply punishing the problem, many New Hampshire schools are seeing the value in moving toward supportive discipline, an approach rooted in understanding the reasons behind the behaviors, so that we can actually support kids to make healthy and safe decisions. This relies on compassion, education, services where needed, and keeping kids connected to their community throughout.

You may have heard the phrase “the opposite of addiction is connection.” Teens are in a critical period of brain development, when the vast majority of lifelong struggles with substance misuse begin. By intervening at this age not simply with punishment and isolation, but with understanding, learned skills, and support to challenge behaviors which do not further shame and “other” them, we can hopefully help them alter those trajectories.

Nine Ways We Can Pivot to Prevention with Real Results

 
There is no ‘one size fits all” for New Hampshire schools, but these strategies are showing real promise. Here are the building blocks of a supportive approach:
 

1. Emphasize connection over suspension:
   How a school responds to a student’s one-time mistake or addiction can either build a bridge or wall. Suspension rarely stops risky behavior; it just moves it out of sight.
2. Focus on health & safety:
   By teaching students about how substances affect the developing brain, we give them the tools and resources to make informed, healthy decisions for themselves and to seek further help as needed. Give students real assistance, not the day off.
3. Nurture a positive culture:
   Meaningful discipline is part of the school’s broader wellness and mental health support involving everyone from the cafeteria staff to the administration. When students feel connected to their school, they are more likely to thrive.
4. Utilize Student Assistance Programs (SAP):
   SAPs provide vital prevention education and early intervention services to students, caregivers, and school staff. They help students navigate issues like stress, anxiety, and depression that might be driving substance use.
5. Reimagine in-school suspension approach (ISS):
   Rather than just sitting in a silent room, updated ISS models keep students on campus and engaged. The best approaches combine schoolwork with intervention and education, helping students build coping skills to avoid risky choices in the future.
6. Break the stigma:
   Make it “okay to not be okay.” When we treat mental health and substance use as a health issue rather than a personal failing, students and families are more likely to seek and accept support early and see the school as a partner. For those students who made a one-time mistake, this mindset can also help prevent them from developing a substance use disorder.
7. Team-up with community-based organizations:
   Partner with local organizations like the Boys and Girls Club, your local Regional Public Health Network, drug free coalition, or community mental health center to expand the safety net for kids and families.
8. Implement restorative practices:
   This is about “making it right.” Instead of a multi-day suspension, students may participate in group meetings to understand who they hurt, take accountability, and complete a community project that benefits the school environment. It turns a poor decision into an opportunity for personal growth.
9. Exercise caution with technology:
   While things like vape detectors or “smart passes” are popular, it’s important to remember they aren’t “silver bullets.” They may deter behavior in the moment, but they don’t address the root cause of the risky behavior and they may not be 100% reliable. True change happens through relationships, not just sensors.