South Central Reporter

North Mac Community Unit School District 34 reported 65 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 65 students during the year. This equates to six percent of the 1,166 students enrolled.

Students were expelled for five incidents with violence that caused physical injury, 25 incidents with violence without physical injury, 26 incidents with alcohol and tobacco, two incidents with drugs, three incidents with a dangerous weapon, other than a firearm.

The district reported that most in-school suspensions were given for violence without injury, of which there were four. There was one incident of unspecified reasons. For four incidents, students were suspended for one to two days.

Boy students received 31 suspensions, while 34 girls were suspended.

There were 30 elementary or middle school students, and 35 high school students suspended in 2021-22 school year.

The district reported that most out-of-school suspensions were given for tobacco, of which there were 26. There were 21 incidents of violence without injury. For 36 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	5
Violence without injury	4	21
Drug offenses	0	2
Firearm	0	0
Other dangerous weapons	0	3
Tobacco	0	26
Other reason	1	3
Total	5	60

	In-school Suspension	Out-of-school Suspension
One day or less	1	0
1-2 days	4	6
2-3 days	0	6
3-4 days	0	36
4-10 days	0	12
More than 10 days	0	0