East Central Reporter

Cowden-Herrick Community Unit School District 3A reported 42 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 42 students during the year. This equates to 14 percent of the 298 students enrolled.

Students were expelled for 14 incidents with violence without physical injury, 11 incidents with alcohol and tobacco.

The district reported that most in-school suspensions were given for unspecified reasons, of which there were seven. There were three incidents of tobacco. For eight incidents, students were suspended for one to two days.

Boy students received 37 suspensions, while five girls were suspended.

There were 23 elementary or middle school students, and 19 high school students suspended in 2021-22 school year.

The district reported that most out-of-school suspensions were given for violence without injury, of which there were 14. There were 10 incidents of unspecified reasons. For 16 incidents, students were suspended for three to four 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	0	0
Violence with injury	0	0
Violence without injury	0	14
Drug offenses	0	0
Firearm	0	0
Other dangerous weapons	0	0
Tobacco	3	8
Other reason	7	10
Total	10	32

	In-school Suspension	Out-of-school Suspension
One day or less	0	1
1-2 days	8	5
2-3 days	2	7
3-4 days	0	16
4-10 days	0	3
More than 10 days	0	0