West Central Reporter

School administrators within Pike County reportedly handed out 228 suspensions solely during the 2023-24 school year, according to the Illinois Report Card.

In total, there were 230 disciplinary actions recorded during the school year, of which 228 were suspensions representing an average of 0.1 actions per student in the county. There were an additional two cases of students being removed to alternative settings rather than being suspended or expelled.

Among the 11 schools in the county, Western Junior High School reported the highest number of disciplinary actions at the time, with a total of 43—or 18.7% of all incidents countywide.

The county reported that most in-school suspensions where a reason was specified were given for incidents involving tobacco, with 19 recorded cases. There were also 13 incidents involving violence without physical injury. Additionally, 58 cases were classified under "other reason" or left unspecified.

There were 172 disciplinary incidents involving male students. Another 56 incidents involved female students.

Of all suspensions issued in the Pike County schools, 152 involved elementary or middle school students, while 76 involved high school students.

Out-of-school suspensions most commonly were for incidents involving violence without physical injury, with 31 cases reported. Additionally, 60 cases were classified under the "other reason" category.

All of the students suspended during the 2023-24 school year in Pike County schools were white, who made up 94.9% of the county's student population.

Some schools or districts may not publish complete disciplinary data due to privacy protections or reporting limitations, which could affect the totals.

Illinois allocated $8.6 billion to K-12 education in its 2025 budget—a $350 million increase over FY 2024, meeting the minimum required under the state’s school funding formula.

In 2024, Illinois registered a teacher retention rate of almost 90%. Yet, around 91% of superintendents reported having a 'serious' problem teacher shortage problem. In total, almost 4,100 teaching positions remained vacant by the end of the year.

“They’re putting a substitute in there, that’s somebody with a four-year degree that’s not in teaching. They’re using a retired teacher…or worse than that, they’re canceling the class, putting the kids in other classrooms, putting them in study hall, but those are strategies we have to use if there’s no qualified teacher,” said Beth Crider, regional superintendent of Peoria County Regional Office of Education #48.

Type of Incident	In-School Suspension	Out-of-School Suspension
Alcohol	-	-
Violence with injury	3	13
Violence without injury	13	31
Drug offenses	1	6
Firearm	-	-
Other dangerous weapons	-	1
Tobacco	19	23
Other reason	58	60
Total	94	134

Duration	In-School Suspension	Out-of-School Suspension
One day or less	17	16
1-2 days	46	56
2-3 days	3	19
3-4 days	20	22
4-10 days	8	12
More than 10 days	-	9