West Central Reporter

West Prairie Community Unit School District 103 reported 30 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 30 students during the year. This equates to five percent of the 580 students enrolled.

Students were expelled for one incident with violence that caused physical injury, six incidents with violence without physical injury, three incidents with alcohol and tobacco, four 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 10. There were three incidents of violence without injury. For 13 incidents, students were suspended for one to two days.

Boy students received 24 suspensions, while six girls were suspended.

There were five elementary or middle school students, and 25 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 six. There were four incidents of dangerous weapon. For eight 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	1
Violence without injury	3	3
Drug offenses	0	0
Firearm	0	0
Other dangerous weapons	0	4
Tobacco	0	3
Other reason	10	6
Total	13	17

	In-school Suspension	Out-of-school Suspension
One day or less	0	0
1-2 days	13	2
2-3 days	0	3
3-4 days	0	8
4-10 days	0	4
More than 10 days	0	0