An extensive report presented recently at a Naperville School District 203 Board of Education meeting delved into student discipline data within the past year.
The information presented was mixed, with fewer suspensions prescribed, but continued gaps between different student groups.
In recent years, District 203 officials have announced efforts to avoid suspensions whenever possible, so students are still able to attend classes and take part in activities while undergoing corrective actions.
A ‘moral and professional obligation’
According to District 203 administrators, data from the past school year indicated a 33% decrease in overall in-school suspensions, compared to 2021-22. Out-of-school suspensions in the same period declined 29%.
Superintendent Dan Bridges discussed the rationale behind tracking student discipline data and considering policy and procedure measures in his introductory comments as the report was delivered at the Monday, Sept. 9, board meeting.
“We know that equitable outcomes for students, particularly for those most disproportionately impacted by discipline policies, are not only our priority, but a moral and professional obligation,” Bridges said.
As the 2024-25 school year gets underway, Bridges and other District 203 administrators said they intend to use the data to strategize new methods to close racial and ethnic disparities and continue limiting the number of in-school and out-of-school suspensions.
“While the district has made notable progress, there are areas where work remains,” Bridges said. “There remains a sense of urgency for us in working with our students, especially in addressing chronic absenteeism and behaviors during unstructured time.”
Racial and ethnic disparities in district remain
Indexed discipline data indicated Black students still had the highest number of suspensions, followed by students with disabilities. The still-prevalent gaps were a topic discussed throughout the lengthy report.
Indexed discipline data, which factored in-school and out-of-school suspensions, ranked Black students at a “4” for in-school suspensions and a “5” for out-of-school suspensions. Students with disabilities also ranked high, with a “3” for in-school and a “4” for out-of-school. By contrast, white and Asian students scored less than a “1” in both metrics.
Several board members noted the continued disparities as the data was hashed over at the meeting. They noted the numbers are a decline from prior years, but also touched on the need to continue closing gaps.
“I’ll express my concerns for the indexes, and the data,” board member Charles Cush said. “The reduction is a celebration, but it’s a celebration off of a number that would not necessarily be something that we would want to celebrate, so it’s a celebration off of a non-celebration.”
Addressing student needs moving forward
As the new school year gains traction, District 203 administrators said they plan to redeploy some of the past efforts and use some of the new tools that are coming into play, such as a student success platform from the company Panorama.
According to administrators, the platform will create standardized information that will help district officials address student needs on a more individualized basis.
“To assist with student engagement and belonging in the classroom, we will continue to provide our faculty with professional learning, focused on culturally responsive teaching, to ensure that we are maximizing our points of connection and learning inside the classroom,” Mark Cohen, deputy superintendent of high schools, said.
Several board members, including Kristin Fitzgerald, noted District 203 has been honing in on student discipline data in recent years.
“This is tons of data, and tons of effort,” Fitzgerald said of the report. “I want to thank everyone for putting it together in this way, but also for the work that it represents.”
Fitzgerald added, “It’s really clear that there’s a commitment to working on the issues. We still need to make progress, but we are making some progress, and we are doing that by doing it intentionally.”
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