South Central Reporter

Bunker Hill Community Unit School District 8 reported 54 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 54 students during the year. This equates to nine percent of the 579 students enrolled.

Students were expelled for five incidents with violence that caused physical injury, 13 incidents with violence without physical injury, three incidents with alcohol and tobacco, one incident 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 25. There were seven incidents of violence without injury. For 37 incidents, students were suspended for one to two days.

Boy students received 45 suspensions, while nine girls were suspended.

There were 31 elementary or middle school students, and 23 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 seven. There were six incidents of violence without injury. For eight 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	5	0
Violence without injury	7	6
Drug offenses	0	0
Firearm	0	0
Other dangerous weapons	1	0
Tobacco	3	0
Other reason	25	7
Total	41	13

	In-school Suspension	Out-of-school Suspension
One day or less	1	0
1-2 days	37	8
2-3 days	0	1
3-4 days	3	3
4-10 days	0	1
More than 10 days	0	0