DeKalb Times

DeKalb Community Unit School District 428 reported 1,941 suspensions or expulsions for the 2021-22 school year, according to the latest student discipline report by the Illinois State Board of Education.

The district removed seven students to alternative settings instead of suspending or expelling them. This equates to less than one percent of the 6,703 students enrolled.

Students were expelled for five incidents with violence without physical injury, 56 incidents with alcohol and tobacco, 115 incidents with drugs, 11 incidents with a dangerous weapon, other than a firearm.

The district reported that most in-school suspensions were given for unspecified reasons, of which there were 1,076. There were 43 incidents of drug offense. For 629 incidents, students were suspended for one to two days.

Boy students received 1,241 suspensions, while 700 girls were suspended.

There were 933 elementary or middle school students, and 1,008 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 678. There were 72 incidents of drug offense. For 316 incidents, students were suspended for one to two 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	3
Violence with injury	0	0
Violence without injury	1	4
Drug offenses	43	72
Firearm	0	0
Other dangerous weapons	3	8
Tobacco	39	14
Other reason	1076	678
Total	1162	779

	In-school Suspension	Out-of-school Suspension
One day or less	404	51
1-2 days	629	316
2-3 days	114	174
3-4 days	14	149
4-10 days	1	89
More than 10 days	0	0