Western Community Unit School District 12 reported 88 suspensions just during the 2023-24 school year, according to the Illinois Report Card.
In total, there were 89 disciplinary actions recorded during the school year, of which 88 were suspensions representing a rate of approximately 16.7 incidents per 100 of the district’s enrolled students. There was an additional case of a student being removed to alternative settings rather than being suspended or expelled.
Among in-school suspensions where a reason was specified, the most common cause was incidents involving tobacco, with 16 recorded cases. There were also five incidents involving violence without physical injury. Additionally, 30 cases were classified under “other reason” or left unspecified.
There were 67 disciplinary incidents involving male students. Another 21 incidents involved female students.
Of all suspensions issued in the district, 59 involved elementary or middle school students, while 29 involved high school students.
Out-of-school suspensions most commonly were for incidents involving tobacco, with four cases reported. Additionally, 21 cases were classified under the “other reason” category.
In terms of ethnicity, white students, who made up 94.5% of the Western Community Unit School District 12 student body, were suspended the most in the district, with 86 suspensions reported during the 2023-24 school year.
Illinois has approved a 2025 budget that allocates $8.6 billion to K-12 education, a $350 million increase from the previous fiscal year—the minimum required under the state 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 | 3 |
| Violence without injury | 5 | 2 |
| Drug offenses | 1 | 2 |
| Firearm | – | – |
| Other dangerous weapons | – | 1 |
| Tobacco | 16 | 4 |
| Other reason | 30 | 21 |
| Total | 55 | 33 |
| Duration | In-School Suspension | Out-of-School Suspension |
|---|---|---|
| One day or less | 9 | 4 |
| 1-2 days | 17 | 10 |
| 2-3 days | 2 | 2 |
| 3-4 days | 19 | 7 |
| 4-10 days | 8 | 4 |
| More than 10 days | – | 6 |
