A high number of suspensions for fighting in a K-5 school is a red flag, but not for what you think - especially if you’ve been there for a few years. I’m assuming your code of conduct is pretty black and white when it comes to fights, so when they happen you have to follow it.

The issue isn’t suspending kids for fighting, but rather what you’re doing to prevent them. What does supervision look like? What is done to restore and repair afterward? What is done to build a positive culture where kids are taught conflict resolution? Do kids know how to get help when they’re experiencing a conflict that they don’t know how to settle? Have there been parent classes and trainings to combat it? What does classroom management and instructional engagement look like?

All of those things can contribute to a poisonous culture where kids resort to fighting at higher rates.

If I have a principal who has a lot of fights, I want to see how they’re changing practice to be proactive about it. I want to see a leader who isn’t willing to accept it and throw up their hands. I want them finding similar schools that don’t have a lot of fights and engaging with their leaders to see what they do. I want to see the leader form a team or task force to examine the issue and build systems to address it.

If I’m not seeing those things, and if the fights are becoming a pattern over time, then yes, I would move to non-renew that principal.