Metro

Are fewer suspensions leading to more school violence?

City school suspensions continued to plummet last year, but critics claim loosening discipline is creating campus chaos.

Suspensions fell by 15.6 percent in 2015-2016 compared with the prior year, according to Department of Education figures released Monday.

There were 37,647 suspensions last year, compared with 44,626 in 2013-2014, according to the DOE. Stressing the need for improved school climate, the DOE celebrated the continued plunge and said suspensions have fallen by 46 percent over the last five years.

“We’re encouraged by the steady decrease in suspensions along with crime, summonses and arrests,” Chancellor Carmen Fariña said in a statement.

But Gregory Floyd, head of the school safety agents union, argued that staffers are being pressured to suppress suspensions and crime reports.

“They can tout these numbers all they want,but schools are now more dangerous than ever,” Floyd told The Post.

He cited the recent beatdowns of two principals by students.

“What you are seeing is the result of lax discipline in schools,” he said. “It’s coming to fruition now.”

Floyd also cited an increase in school weapon confiscations as indicative of a serious problem.

The DOE has stressed an overall drop in crime of 35 percent over the last five years in city schools, and has denied any suppression campaign against reporting incidents.

Teachers-union boss Michael Mulgrew was lukewarm in assessing the new numbers.

“Success should not be measured by the number of suspensions but by the number of schools with an improved school climate,” he said in a statement.