Great piece. I've been the teacher who's definitely just wanted a kid removed from the classroom for egregious misbehaviors and just because it would help everyone else learn better, but the reality is not every school has enough staffing for the support staff trained in therapeutic support intervention. I know our related service providers are incredibly overburdened.

I think it's really easy in the classroom to see it as a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation in response to failing grades -- you're damned if you lower academic expectations, yet also damned for socially promoting students who are not ready to move onto the next grade. This is the most difficult year ever for a lot of colleagues I know in terms of student behavior, and at times, I've been in the situation where I questioned the effectiveness of progressive education policy and reform (as someone who advocated for them before being in the classroom) and the lack of accountability for bullies or kids who harass other kids in the name of equity, and school leaders who are pressured in engaging in the numbers game to protect the school's reputation. I've become a bit disillusioned and think there are just no easy answers right now.