West Central Reporter

Macomb Community Unit School District 185 reported 209 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 209 students during the year. This equates to 11 percent of the 1,924 students enrolled.

Students were expelled for four incidents with violence that caused physical injury, 78 incidents with violence without physical injury, 24 incidents with alcohol and tobacco, six incidents with drugs, one incident with a dangerous weapon, other than a firearm.

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

Boy students received 123 suspensions, while 86 girls were suspended.

There were 148 elementary or middle school students, and 61 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 96. There were 77 incidents of violence without injury. For 100 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	3
Violence with injury	0	4
Violence without injury	1	77
Drug offenses	0	6
Firearm	0	0
Other dangerous weapons	0	1
Tobacco	3	18
Other reason	0	96
Total	4	205

	In-school Suspension	Out-of-school Suspension
One day or less	0	13
1-2 days	3	100
2-3 days	1	41
3-4 days	0	31
4-10 days	0	20
More than 10 days	0	0