In the Northern Marianas, the number of public school students in middle and high school who have been suspended has risen to 3,000, compared to just 400 cases five years ago.
The chair of the Public School System's School Reform Committee says he is concerned about what impact the alarming rate of suspensions will have on the number of graduating students each year.
Galvin Deleon Guerrero says just by reviewing the information, abuses by principals and administrators were quite evident.
He says in the year 2007-2008 a total of 766 students were suspended for betel nut chewing and tobacco possession in school.
