The longer the out-of-school suspension, the more likely it is that a student will miss out on learning opportunities and lose a feeling of connectedness to the classroom-based community. What often follows is lower achievement and a higher likelihood of dropping out.

For the sake of adequately prepping students for adult life and the ever-evolving world of work, lengthy suspensions should be a last resort for the state’s public schools. By some estimates, a majority of jobs in the islands are now requiring at least some post-secondary education, in addition to a high school diploma.

It’s alarming then that students in Hawaii miss nearly twice as many school days due to suspensions as their peers nationally, with children with disabilities, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders hardest-hit, according to recent American Civil Liberties Union analysis of federal data.

Hawaii’s percentage of students suspended is 3.5% — compared to 5.3% nationwide. But our students are put out of school for longer stretches. Overall, the statewide average was 41 suspended days total per 100 students in an academic year — approaching twice the national average of 23.

In its 2018 report, “11 Million Days Lost: Race, Discipline and Safety at U.S. Public Schools,” the Civil Rights Project at the University of California, Los Angeles and the ACLU of Southern California, persuasively points out that long suspensions can push already vulnerable students into a school-to-prison pipeline.

Even for students from households untouched by socioeconomic hardship, the path to success in school is filled with challenges. Reduced attendance can quickly dash a drive to keep pace with peers. Amid academic and social free-fall, behavioral problems and misconduct often rise — as does the likelihood of entering the juvenile court system.

Public schools in Hawaii may suspend students for up to 92 days for a wide range of offenses, from fighting to vaping, and principals have discretion in setting punishment. In extreme cases, in which a safe learning environment is clearly threatened, the offending student must be removed from the school.

But in less-obvious cases, well-intended but sometimes overzealous zero-tolerance policies implemented in recent decades, have resulted in moving problematic — but not dangerous — children toward a slippery slope. At the bottom of the slope are young people who are ill-prepared for adulthood, increasing the chances that rather than succeeding economically and otherwise, their future will include a tangle of social costs and drain on public resources.

Responding to the report, Rae Shih, a legal fellow at the ACLU of Hawaii, said the state’s practices are “highly punitive compared to other jurisdictions.” Further, she said, “a lot of jurisdictions have eliminated out-of-school suspensions or capped them at 10 days.” Hawaii should follow suit.

In Hawaii, when a student is suspended for 10 or more days, he or she has to receive schooling. And in many cases, in lieu of off-campus suspension, students can opt for an on-campus penalty accompanied by support services that fold in much-needed positive intervention, such as behavior modification programs and tutoring. This is a step in the right direction.

However, it’s concerning that still within the state Education Department’s authority is an option to suspend a student for up to 10 days without having to take special steps and without having to provide educational services during the suspension. This might include several suspensions of several days each.

Denying a student help for that long should be unacceptable. Recovering from such a setback, difficult enough for motivated children, is nearly impossible for those already grappling with struggles in the classroom and very likely, in their household.