“Suspension, and definitely expulsion, is always a sign of a school’s failure to solve problems for a child,” Judith Sandalow, executive director of D.C. Children’s Law Center, told The Washington Examiner’s Lisa Gartner in Sunday’s edition. “We want them in class, learning. Behaviors that are causing suspension should be seen as symptoms of a disease, and you need to find the right cure for the disease, not just treat the symptoms.”

Sandalow was commenting on the high suspension rates in a handful of D.C. public charter schools, which have prompted some D.C. officials to call for a citywide uniform disciplinary policy. We agree that schools can be too quick with severe disciplinary measures, but we take issue with Sandalow’s underlying logic, which is widely shared. Bad behavior is neither a disease nor a symptom of one. It is a habit that students develop — for whatever reason — and which in most cases can still be broken in youth, if appropriate school discipline leaves a sufficiently strong impression.