East Central Reporter

Tuscola Community Unit School District 301 reported 23 suspensions or expulsions for the 2021-22 school year, according to the latest student discipline report by the Illinois State Board of Education.

According to the report, the district expelled or suspended 23 students during the year. This equates to two percent of the 947 students enrolled.

Students were expelled for eight incidents with alcohol and tobacco, three incidents with drugs, one incident with a dangerous weapon, other than a firearm.

Boy students received 14 suspensions, while nine girls were suspended.

There were 19 elementary or middle school students, and four high school students suspended in 2021-22 school year.

The district reported that most out-of-school suspensions were given for unspecified reasons, of which there were 11. There were five incidents of tobacco. For 10 incidents, students were suspended for four to 10 days.

Illinois ranks as the 5th state in terms of the overall number of schools and student enrollment among all states.

Illinois lawmakers enacted laws in 2015 to restrict schools from disciplining a disproportionate number of Black and minority students out of school and into the criminal justice system, often for minor misbehavior.

	In-school Suspension	Out-of-school Suspension
Alcohol		3
Violence with injury		0
Violence without injury		0
Drug offenses		3
Firearm		0
Other dangerous weapons		1
Tobacco		5
Other reason		11
Total		23

	In-school Suspension	Out-of-school Suspension
One day or less		0
1-2 days		4
2-3 days		4
3-4 days		5
4-10 days		10
More than 10 days		0