Day 8 of the 20-Day Public Comment Challenge: Suspension, explusion, and behavioral support
Today’s Prompt:
The federal ban on removing children, and the required level of behavioral and mental health support, would both go away. Without identifying anyone, describe one child whose behavior would have ended their enrollment somewhere else, and what your program did instead.
Day 8 Prompts for the Action Alert
Staff: “I am a [role] at [program]. [One child: the behavior, what the program did instead of removing them, where that child is now. No identifying details.]”
Parent: “My child struggled with [general behavior] around age [age]. Instead of being asked to leave, [program] [what they did]. This rule would not guarantee that.”
Community Partner: “As [title] at [organization], we work with children removed from other programs before they reached Head Start. [What happens to those children with no federal protection.]”
Where it says that: The ban on suspension and expulsion and the required consultation levels are at 45 CFR 1302.17 and 1302.45. The proposed rule removes both and defers to state and local discipline policy.
This is one of 20 daily prompts. You don’t have to wait, browse them all and submit on any prompt that fits your situation, anytime between now and October 6. See the rest on the 20-Day Comment Challenge page.
Wondering how public comments help? Watch a 3-minute explainer
This short video walks through what the proposal would change, why it matters, and exactly how to submit a comment, even if you’ve never done this before.
How to leave an impactful comment
You don’t need to be a policy expert to submit a strong comment, and you don’t need to cover every issue in the proposal. In fact, a comment that focuses on one thing is often more powerful than one that tries to address everything.
- Focus on one area of the proposal you feel most passionate about.
- Add a short, real story about how that change would affect you, your child, or your classroom.
- Submit it before October 6, 2026.
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Another way to help Protect Head Start is by signing onto Together for Head Start’s Family Sign-On Letter. Deadline to sign on is Sept 25.
