It should be concerning to Jamestown parents that the president of the Jamestown Public Schools Board of Education fears school discipline becoming even more watered down.

A group of 17 well-behaved children shouldn’t have to have less time learning math or reading because teachers have to spend an inordinate amount of time trying to calm down the same one or two children for months on end. Two classrooms shouldn’t be disrupted because elementary the same one or two children are so disruptive during a school year that one room is evacuated into another room so teachers can try to calm down children who have obvious disciplinary issues.

That is the world in which teachers — and many parents — live.

Teachers have far too few tools available to deal with problem students. And any signal that the state is about to take away any of the tools teachers currently have available raises alarm bells. That’s why the word of caution last week from Paul Abbott, Jamestown Publiv Schools District board president, questioning a possible shift in how the state plans to handle suspensions and other discipline-related matters is noteworthy.

“I question the philosophy that is sometimes conveyed to us, or mandated to us, in these areas because, obviously, we want every student to succeed,” he said. “We want every student to achieve the most that they can while they’re in our schools, but I think watered down discipline is problematic.”

School board members Christine Schnars and Nina Karbacka recently attended a meeting of the state School Boards Association’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee. They say the state wants districts to examine the suspension and discipline data to make sure there aren’t racial disparities in discipline, not necessarily water down discipline. But that’s not what recently sent guidance from the state Education Department signals. On Wednesday, the state Attorney General’s Office and state Department of Education sent schools an 11-page letter reminding districts of their “obligation to place dignity, inclusion, and respect at the center of their educational decisions.” Specifically, the joint guidance offered recommendations in three areas: learning and teaching, student discipline, and bullying and harassment. Regarding discipline, the letter notes that “New York state remains committed to minimizing punitive suspension practices and instead using restorative practices to keep students in the classroom, because the damage suspensions cause to student achievement is lasting.”

The state may be right. Suspensions may not be the right answer. But neither is continually disrupting the education of children who show up to school ready to learn every day. And putting the burden on teachers to be social workers and mental health providers when they should be able to focus on reading, writing and arithmetic is also not the right answer.

If the state Board of Regents wants to know why so many students struggle on state-administered tests, we’d suggest looking in the mirror. Too often, a focus on restorative practices in classrooms means a lot of children missing instructional time in the classroom. It’s time the state gives school districts and teachers more tools to deal with classroom disruptions, not take tools away.