Canal Winchester reports fewer suspensions but big rise in kindergarten and elementary referrals

Superintendent Kya Hunt told the Canal Winchester Local School District board on the evening the district’s first‑semester discipline data showed declines in formal discipline actions at most buildings but sharp increases in office referrals at some elementary schools after the district introduced all‑day kindergarten.

Hunt said the presentation compared first semester 2024–25 with first semester 2023–24 “so that you can really see an apples to apples comparison.” She said data are recorded by teachers, staff and administrators and that some incidents reported to the state represent major infractions such as fights, drugs or weapons.

The nut graf: the district reported fewer suspensions and overall discipline actions at the high school and middle school, while Indian Trail Elementary recorded a notable rise in office referrals — a change the superintendent tied in part to the move to full‑day kindergarten and to the building’s new reporting tools.

District officials converted building reports into uniform metrics for the board. At Canal Winchester High School, first‑semester discipline actions (suspensions and expulsions) fell to 66 from 86 a year earlier (a 23% decline); the number of students with those actions fell to 54 from 65. Office referrals at the high school were 379 this semester versus 481 last year, the presentation said. At Canal Winchester Middle School total discipline actions dropped to 154 from 231 and the number of students receiving those actions fell from 122 to 87.

By contrast, Indian Trail Elementary recorded 233 office referrals in the first semester of 2024–25 compared with 79 the prior year; the building had 21 discipline actions this year and none in the prior year. Superintendent Kya Hunt said several factors likely contributed: the district moved to full‑day kindergarten this year, and Indian Trail also began using a digital behavior‑reporting tool that may have increased recorded incidents. "We did go to a full day kindergarten, which with behaviors, if students are not used to doing school ... that could account and probably does account for, the increased number of students and the increased number of office referrals," Hunt said.

Hunt also explained reporting differences among buildings. At the high school, the district distinguishes office referrals (which can result in detentions or an in‑school alternative called ABIP) from discipline actions that result in suspension or expulsion. "Office referrals can result in discipline actions like ABIP which is our in school learning alternative," she said. At the middle school, she noted, office referrals are converted into discipline entries so the charts are not directly comparable without that caveat.

Board members pressed for deeper review of particular categories, notably a rise in acts of disrespect or insubordination at the middle school and the increase in office referrals at Indian Trail. A board member asked whether staff report bullying differently than incidents that target staff; Hunt responded that the district follows the state definition of bullying, which requires repeated behavior. "The definition of bullying is repeated violation," she said, and added that the district examines definitions when comparing trends.

Hunt emphasized that more than half of students who received a referral or discipline action had only one incident in the semester. Across the district, 4,05 (sic in slides; presented as 405) total students K–12 had at least one office referral or discipline action — described in the presentation as about 10% of students. She said 56.5% of students with entries had only a single incident in the semester, a figure administrators cited as evidence that interventions and restorative practices are having an effect.

Administrators described interventions already in place: hallway sweeps, changes to the cell‑phone policy, use of MTSS (multi‑tiered systems of support) and restorative practices at Winchester Trail Elementary. The district also said it uses counselors and mental‑health staff to review building data monthly and that building leadership teams examine trends at semester breaks.

Hunt told the board the district plans fuller year‑end reporting. "We pretty much have a template now, and so we would expect that at the end of the year we'll do one that would include not only second semester, but we could actually review the whole year," she said.

Board members asked for additional follow‑up: more semesters of data, and an analysis of whether increased camera coverage or other safety measures correlate with behavior changes. Hunt said the district uses SROs, paraprofessionals assigned to monitor camera footage and weapon detection sensors weekly, and that the district recently received an Attorney General grant to support additional measures.

Hunt concluded by noting building‑level context matters when interpreting small counts (for example, expulsions that move from two to five students can produce large percentage swings) and urged continued use of MTSS and restorative approaches to reduce repeat incidents.