May is Mental Health Awareness Month, which makes this a good time to think about how school is one of the most protective places for a youth’s mental health. School offers structure, trusted adults, routines, friendships, meals, support services, and a daily sense of belonging. The CDC calls “school connectedness” a real protective factor for youth mental health, and students who feel connected to school tend to have better mental health and lower risk behaviors over time.1
That is why suspensions and expulsions are such a big deal. They may look like a short-term consequence, but the research suggests they can create a long-term ripple effect. One recent study found that students who experienced suspension or expulsion had higher depressive symptoms across adolescence and into adulthood.2 Another long-term study followed 12,686 youth for nearly 40 years. Of that cohort, 21.5% of participants had been suspended and 4.4% had been expelled as students. Decades later, those experiences were associated with lower cognitive performance at around age 50, including lower global cognition, memory, and attention scores.3
From the 2021, Youth Risk Behavioral Survey – In answer to the question, “Do you agree or disagree that you feel close to people at your school,” “High” = Strongly agree, agree; “Low” = Not sure, disagree, strongly disagree.
Students with high school connectedness report better outcomes across every measure.
| School connectedness | Poor mental health (past 30 days) |
Lifetime marijuana use | Lifetime opioid misuse | Skipped school felt unsafe |
|---|---|---|---|---|
High |
22% |
26% |
10% |
6% |
Low |
40% |
33% |
17% |
11% |
High connectedness
Low connectedness
This is important when we are talking about behaviors like vaping. Vaping needs a response, but if the response is simply to leave school, we may be adding to the harm. A student who is vaping may be dealing with stress, anxiety, peer pressure, addiction, trauma, or just poor decision-making that needs guidance. Removing that student from school may interrupt learning, increase disconnection, and harm mental health. The American Academy of Pediatrics has warned that suspension and expulsion can harm students and recommends approaches like trauma-informed supports, multi-tiered systems of support, and restorative practices instead.4
Research on restorative practices has found that, when implemented well, they can improve school climate and reduce suspensions and discipline disparities. Pittsburgh Public Schools’ Pursuing Equitable and Restorative Communities, or PERC, study found in schools using restorative practices days lost to suspension dropped by 36%, compared with 18% in non-PERC schools.5
If we care about student mental health, life success, and safer schools, then keeping students connected to school whenever possible is smart. At Playbl, we provide educational tools that students can complete in schools under the guidance of teachers, counselors, or other trusted adults to explore their habits, reflect on what is driving their choices, and build healthier coping skills. Programs like ReFresh and ReMind are designed for exactly this Tier 2 moment: when a student needs most support, education, and to stay in the school community. ReFresh helps students take a closer look at vaping, including stress, cravings, peer pressure, and the health risks involved, while giving schools an alternative to suspension that is structured, engaging, and easy to implement. ReMind extends that same idea to youth cannabis use, giving schools another restorative tool for responding to substance-use policy violations without defaulting to exclusion. These programs do not excuse the behavior; they help students understand it, take responsibility for it, and make a better choice next time.
References