State Of Discipline: 2016-17 School Year Sub-header

Overview of in-school suspensions, out-of-school suspensions and expulsionsExamination of the suspension and expulsion data reported by LEAs and PCSB to OSSE reveals that ofthe 96,431 students ever enrolled in the 2016-17 school year, 7,181 received at least one out-of-schoolsuspension, 613 were reported as having received at least one in-school suspension, and 100 wereexpelled.4 Figure 1 shows the number of students with at least one of each type of disciplinary action.Appendix B provides detail on the suspension and expulsion rates reported to OSSE at the LEA- andschool-level.In the 2016-17 school year, 7.4 percent of students received at least one out-of-school suspension, 0.6percent of students received at least one in-school suspension and 0.1 percent were expelled.Figure 1. Number of students disciplined by disciplinary action type100,00090,00080,000Number of 10,0007,181-613100Students Receiving Out-of-School SuspensionsStudents Receiving In-School SuspensionsStudents Receiving ExpulsionsNo Disciplinary Actions4Some students are counted more than once in the disciplinary action categories. If a student was suspended inschool, out-of-school, and expelled, they are counted in each column.SCHOOL YEAR 2016-17 DISCIPLINE REPORT9

Disciplinary actions over timeFigure 2 provides details on how many students received disciplinary actions over the past two years.Overall, fewer students received disciplinary actions in 2016-17 compared to the 2015-16 school year.Compared to 2015-16, 143 fewer students received an out-of-school suspension. Similarly, fewerstudents in 2016-17 received an in-school suspension. The total number of students expelled increasedby 1 compared to 2015-16.Figure 2. Number of students who received disciplinary actions by school year59,0007,888Number of Students Receiving Disciplinary Actions8,0007,5147,324 0Out-of-School SuspensionsIn-School Suspensions2015-20165ExpulsionsAll Students2016-2017Sums do not add for all students because a student could get more than one disciplinary action in a given year.SCHOOL YEAR 2016-17 DISCIPLINE REPORT10

Figure 3 shows the total number of disciplinary actions for the past two school years. Disciplinary actionsare declining. There was a total of 14,114 disciplinary actions reported for the 2015-16 school year and atotal of 13,778 disciplinary actions reported for the 2016-17 school year.While there were fewer disciplinary actions reported for the 2016-17 school year, there were 202 moreout-of-school suspensions and 7 more expulsions for 2016-17 compared to the previous year. The totalreported number of in-school suspensions for the 2016-17 school year is lower than the previous year.6When examined together, Figures 2 and 3 shows that while fewer students received disciplinary actionsin 2016-17, those who were disciplined received more out-of-school suspensions and expulsions thanwhat was reported in 2015-16.Figure 3. Counts of disciplinary action types by school year16,00014,11414,00013,77812,695 12,897Number of Disciplinary 06Out-of-School Suspensions In-School ool SuspensionsFar fewer students received in-school suspensions (0.6 percent of students) than received out-of-schoolsuspensions in the 2016-17 school year. The in-school suspension data reported to OSSE revealed thatin-school suspensions were concentrated in certain LEAs. Of the 66 LEAs and 231 schools included in thisreport, only 22 LEAs and 64 schools reported having in-school suspensions. In comparison to 2015-16,6See the section on in-school suspensions for more information on why the 2016-17 reported number may belower than last year.SCHOOL YEAR 2016-17 DISCIPLINE REPORT11

eight fewer LEAs and seven fewer schools reported in-school suspensions. Furthermore, in-schoolsuspensions were highly concentrated, with two LEAs accounting for 66.3 percent of all reported inschool suspensions. DC Public Schools is the largest LEA and had the largest share of in-schoolsuspensions with 392 (50.6 percent) incidents. Only nine LEAs reported issuing more than ten in-schoolsuspensions during the 2016-17 school year.It should be noted that of the 66 LEAs that reported their in-school suspensions, only 56 verified thesenumbers. Therefore of the 44 LEAs that reported zero in-schools suspensions, ten did not verify withOSSE that no incidents occurred and that it is the LEAs policy not to assign in-school suspensions tostudents during the 2016-17 school year.7Due to the relatively small number of LEAs using in school suspensions as a disciplinary action, OSSE didnot conduct any in-depth analysis of the relationship between in-school suspensions and student factorsmore generally at the state level.Additionally, discrepancies were found between LEA-submitted discipline and attendance data. NineLEAs that reported no in-school suspensions in their discipline data submissions had a total of 704 codedin-school suspensions listed in their attendance data.8 For a count of in-school suspensions by LEA andschool see Appendix B. OSSE will continue to work with LEAs to improve their data accuracy.ExpulsionsIn the 2016-17 school year, 106 expulsions occurred in the District of Columbia. Those 106 expulsionswere given to 100 total students; six of those students were expelled more than once. A student may beexpelled from one school in the District of Columbia, enroll in another school, and be expelled from thatschool in the same year. Of the 106 total expulsions, 103 occurred at public charter schools and threeoccurred at DCPS. Expulsions were concentrated at 38 schools within 23 LEAs.78See Appendix E for a list of these LEAs.See Appendix D for more information.SCHOOL YEAR 2016-17 DISCIPLINE REPORT12

Expulsions by gradeFigure 4 shows the number of expulsions by students’ enrollment grade.9 The majority of students areexpelled in the ninth grade. Tenth graders also share a large proportion of expulsions, indicating mostexpulsions happen throughout high school. The third largest number of expulsions happens in adulteducation and sixth grade with a total of 10 expulsions each for this year.Figure 4. Number of students expelled by grade302825Number of Expulsions222015121010109750060708091011AEGrade of Expelled Student9Some grades are omitted for student privacy.SCHOOL YEAR 2016-17 DISCIPLINE REPORT13

Expulsions by genderFigure 5 shows the proportion of students by gender who were expelled compared to the proportion ofstudents who were enrolled during the 2016-17 school year.10 If all students were expelled at an equalrate, the proportion of males and females who were expelled during the school year should equal theproportion of students by gender who were enrolled during the school year. This equality of expulsionsis not what the data show. While the population is split roughly between males and females in theenrolled population evenly (50.2 percent and 49.8 percent respectively), males count for a total of 66out of 106 expulsions. The proportion of males in the expelled population is 62.3 percent compared to50.2 percent of the enrolled population.Figure 5. Proportion of students expelled by gender50.2%48,380Enrolled Students49.8%48,04537.7%40Number of %90%100%Male6 students have unknown genders and have been excluded from this chart.SCHOOL YEAR 2016-17 DISCIPLINE REPORT14

Expulsions by raceBreakdowns by race also depict disproportionate discipline rates for different racial groups for the 201617 school year.11 Figure 6 shows that of the expelled population, Black/African American studentsaccount for 101 of 106 expulsions. Black/African American students make up 67.6 percent of theenrolled population, but constitute 95.3 percent of all students receiving expulsions. Those identifyingas other races account for only 5 expulsions and the remaining 4.7 percent of the expelled population.Figure 6. Proportion of students expelled by race67.6%65,149Enrolled Students32.4%31,26495.3%101Number of Expulsions0%10%20%30%40%50%Black/African American114.7%560%70%80%90%100%Other18 students have an unknown race and were excluded from this chart.SCHOOL YEAR 2016-17 DISCIPLINE REPORT15

Expulsions by Status as a Student with DisabilitiesFigure 7 shows the proportion of students by their status as a student with a disability. Students withdisabilities make up 14.7 percent of the enrolled population and 16.0 percent of students who receivedan expulsion. Those who are not identified as a student with a disability compose of 85.3 percent of theenrolled population and 84.0 percent of the expelled student population.12Figure 7. Proportion of students expelled by students with a disability statusEnrolled StudentsNumber of 16.0%1740%Non-Students with Disabilities50%60%70%80%90%100%Students with Disabilities12The total number of students in the enrolled population here is 96,527. This is because some students arecounted in both populations because their status was reported as a student with disabilities by one school, and asa non-student with disabilities by another school. Both records are kept to give an accurate proportion of thestudent body as the schools and LEAs believed at the time.SCHOOL YEAR 2016-17 DISCIPLINE REPORT16

Expulsions by English learner statusFigure 8 shows the proportion of students by their status as an English learner. Students who areidentified as English learners make up 11 percent of the enrolled population and 5.7 percent of studentsreceiving an expulsion. Those who are not English learners compose 89.1 percent of the enrolledpopulation and 94.3 percent of the expelled student population.13Figure 8. Proportion of students expelled by English learner status11.0%10,570Enrolled StudentsNumber of sh learner40%50%60%70%80%90%100%Non-English learner13The total number of students in the enrolled population here is 96,549. This is because some students arecounted in both populations because their status was reported as an English learner by one school, and as a nonEnglish learner by another school. Both records are kept to give an accurate proportion of the student body as theschools and LEAs believed at the time.SCHOOL YEAR 2016-17 DISCIPLINE REPORT17

Expulsions by At-Risk StatusFigure 9 shows the proportion of expelled students by their identification as at-risk.14 In the District ofColumbia, “at-risk”15 refers to a student who possesses one of the following characteristics at any pointduring the given school year: Direct Certification: Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or SupplementalNutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) enrollmentHomeless: Identification as homeless by the student’s school or other communitypartners.CFSA: Under the care of the Child and Family Services Agency (CFSA)Overage (high school only): A high school student is overage if he or she is at least oneyear older than the expected age for their gradeStudents identified as at-risk make up 49.9 percent of students in the enrolled population. Figure 9shows that students identified as at-risk make up 84 percent of the expelled population and studentswho are not identified as at-risk have a total of 17 out of 106 expulsions.Figure 9. Proportion of students expelled by at-risk status49.9%48,063Enrolled Students50.2%48,35184.0%89Number of %80%90%100%Not At-Risk17 students had an unknown status for the at-risk indicator and were removed from this chart.D.C. Code § 38-2901 (2A)SCHOOL YEAR 2016-17 DISCIPLINE REPORT18

Removals to an interim alternative education settingIDEA provides certain procedural safeguards that apply when a student with a disability (or a studentwho is suspected of having a disability) violates a code of student conduct and receives a suspension orexpulsion that results in the student being removed from his or her current educational placement. Astudent with a disability who violates a code of student conduct may be removed from his or her currentplacement to an appropriate interim alternative educational setting, another setting, or suspension, fornot more than 10 school days.16 If a student with a disability is removed from his or her currentplacement for more than 10 school days (either consecutively or cumulatively totaling 10 days), the LEAmust conduct a meeting to determine if the behavior that gave rise to the violation of the school code isa manifestation of the student’s disability.17 However, school personnel are permitted to remove astudent to an interim alternative educational setting for not more than 45 school days without regard towhether the behavior is determined to be a manifestation of the child's disability if a student:1) Carries a weapon to or possesses a weapon at school, on school premises, or to or at a schoolfunction under the jurisdiction of OSSE or an LEA;2) Knowingly possesses or uses illegal drugs, or sells or solicits the sale of a controlled substancewhile at school, on school premises, or at a school function under the jurisdiction of OSSE or anLEA; or3) Has inflicted serious bodily injury upon another person while at school, on school premises, or ata school function under the jurisdiction of OSSE or an LEA.18There were 31 instances when a student was removed to an interim alternative educational settingduring the 2016-17 school year. Appendix C shows the number of interim removals by LEA and thenumber of interim removals by school.Suspensions and Expulsions for Pre-K StudentsThe Pre-K Student Discipline Amendment Act of 2015 prohibits the expulsion of Pre-K age students frompublicly funded community-based organizations (CBO) and public schools providing Pre-K care andeducation. According to the data OSSE received from LEAs, no students in grades Pre-K 3 or Pre-K 4 wereexpelled during the 2016-17 school year.The Act also prohibits out-of-school suspensions for pre-K age students unless a school administratordetermines that the student willfully caused or attempted to cause bodily injury, or threatened seriousbodily injury to another person, except if the student acted in self-defense. Suspensions given to Pre-Kage students cannot exceed three days for any individual incident. According to the data OSSE receivedfrom LEAs, six Pre-K age students received out-of-school suspensions in the 2016-17 school year. Thesesix students accumulated a total of nine distinct out-of-school suspensions. The majority of thesesuspensions lasted one day. This number is an improvement over the 2015-16 school year, where ninestudents accumulated a total of 16 incidents. For 2016-17, some of the nine suspensions were the resultof physical interactions that resulted in minor injury. The majority of out-of-school suspensions for Pre-Kstudents, however, were caused by disruptive behavior where no injury was reported. In response toLEAs reporting disciplinary actions in violation of these prohibitions for the 2016-17 school year, OSSE is1634 C.F.R. § 300.530(b).34 C.F.R. § 300.530(e).1834 C.F.R. §300.530(g).17SCHOOL YEAR 2016-17 DISCIPLINE REPORT19

developing guidance and technical assistance to support LEAs in understanding their legal and datacollection responsibilities related to discipline of Pre-K students.Out-of-school suspensionsThe following sections of this report provide further detail about out-of-school suspensions in publicschools in the District during the 2016-17 school year. Out-of-school suspensions are reported at higherrates than in-school suspensions, with over eleven times as many students receiving an out-of-schoolsuspension as received an in-school suspension; 7.5 percent of students received an out-of-schoolsuspension compared to 0.1 percent of students who received an in-school suspension.The following sections will examine:1. Overall trends in the frequency and length of out-of-school suspensions.2. Disproportionality in rates of out-of-school suspensions.3. Differences in out-of-school suspension rates across schools.SCHOOL YEAR 2016-17 DISCIPLINE REPORT20

Frequency and length of out-of-school suspensionsFigure 10 shows the percentage of students receiving one, two, three, four, five, or six or more out-ofschool suspensions among students who received at least one out-of-school suspension during the2016-17 school year.Of the 7,181 students with at least one out-of-school suspension, over one third (38.1 percent) receivedan out-of-school suspension on more than one occasion. Approximately 18.5 percent of students whowere out-of-school suspended received three or more out-of-school suspensions.Figure 10. Total number of out-of-school suspensions among suspended e70%80%90%100%More than six timesSCHOOL YEAR 2016-17 DISCIPLINE REPORT21

Out-of-school suspensions by gradeThe following figures represent the number of suspensions by grade. In general, these figures show thatmiddle school and lower high school grades share the most out of school suspensions. Figure 11 shows apeak in the number of suspensions between middle and high school with a steep drop off after ninthgrade.Figure 11: Total Number of out-of-school suspensions by grade1,8001,5931,6001,6251,559Number of Disciplinary 12AdultSCHOOL YEAR 2016-17 DISCIPLINE REPORT22

Figure 12 depicts a similar story where students with more than one suspension in the middle schoolgrades of sixth through eighth and the traditional first high school grade, grade 9, receive the mostsuspensions.Figure 12: Students with more than one suspension by grade400370362349350298Number of 0KG010203040506070809101112SCHOOL YEAR 2016-17 DISCIPLINE REPORT23

Figure 13 shows the total number of instructional days missed by students due to out-of-schoolsuspens

Luke C. Moore Alternative High School*, the Columbia Heights Education Campus*, Hart Middle . SCHOOL YEAR 2016-17 DISCIPLINE REPORT 6 School*, Cesar Chavez Parkside Middle School, Kelly Miller Middle School, Neval Thomas Elementary School, and SEED Public Charter School.1 To provide support t