South Central Reporter

Centralia School District 135 reported 485 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 485 students during the year. This equates to 43 percent of the 1,121 students enrolled.

Students were expelled for 173 incidents with violence that caused physical injury, 24 incidents with violence without physical injury, 47 incidents with alcohol and tobacco, nine incidents with drugs, 10 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 159. There were 100 incidents of violence with injury. For 157 incidents, students were suspended for one to two days.

Boy students received 334 suspensions, while 151 girls were suspended.

There were 485 elementary or middle school students suspended in 2021-22 school year.

The district reported that most out-of-school suspensions were given for violence with injury, of which there were 73. There were 63 incidents of unspecified reasons. For 73 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	7	7
Violence with injury	100	73
Violence without injury	17	7
Drug offenses	4	5
Firearm	0	0
Other dangerous weapons	2	8
Tobacco	27	6
Other reason	159	63
Total	316	169

	In-school Suspension	Out-of-school Suspension
One day or less	34	11
1-2 days	157	73
2-3 days	56	26
3-4 days	64	55
4-10 days	5	4
More than 10 days	0	0