South Central Reporter

Mount Olive Community Unit School District 5 reported 73 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 73 students during the year. This equates to 15 percent of the 472 students enrolled.

Students were expelled for two incidents with violence without physical injury, nine incidents with alcohol and tobacco, one incident with drugs.

The district reported that most in-school suspensions were given for unspecified reasons, of which there were 60. There were nine incidents of tobacco. For 35 incidents, students were suspended for one to two days.

Boy students received 55 suspensions, while 18 girls were suspended.

There were six elementary or middle school students, and 67 high school students suspended in 2021-22 school year.

The district reported that most out-of-school suspension was given for violence without injury, of which there was one. There was one incident of drug offense. For two 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	0
Violence with injury	0	0
Violence without injury	1	1
Drug offenses	0	1
Firearm	0	0
Other dangerous weapons	0	0
Tobacco	9	0
Other reason	60	1
Total	70	3

	In-school Suspension	Out-of-school Suspension
One day or less	12	0
1-2 days	35	2
2-3 days	6	0
3-4 days	15	0
4-10 days	2	1
More than 10 days	0	0