District discipline data shows high number of expulsion packets returned; board seeks clarity on outcomes

District safety and discipline coordinator Christopher Glover presented three-year discipline trends and school-by-school referral data to the Colleton County School Board committee on April 8, showing referral totals, top infractions and updated expulsion-packet tracking for the current year.

Why it matters: the board heard that many building-level recommendations for expulsion are ultimately referred back to schools by hearing officers, prompting questions from trustees about classroom impacts and whether policy or process changes are needed.

Glover walked the committee through elementary and secondary referral trends (2021-22 through 2024-25 as of April 1), top 10 infractions by year, and the district's expulsion tracking spreadsheet, which the presenter said the district is now maintaining on a more up-to-date basis. "We created a different spreadsheet with a little bit more data... it makes it easier for us to just go in and... input that data," he said.

Board members pressed for detail on the expulsion data. One trustee observed that 80 expulsion packets had been submitted by the high school and said 32 were "sent back," noting that the middle school had an even higher proportion returned. The trustee asked why so many packets were not resulting in alternative placements. Glover said the cases "have their own uniqueness" but explained that fighting generates an automatic recommendation for an expulsion packet; the hearing officer may review the case and decide that a suspension (for example) and return to school is appropriate rather than assignment to an alternative setting.

Trustees raised concerns about classroom impacts when students who have generated referrals remain in class. "If we are just constantly sending problems back to the teacher and back to the classroom... if I was a teacher I'd be looking for a way out," one trustee said. Superintendent Williams and staff emphasized due process at hearings and that hearing officers consider each case's circumstances; Williams also said some students are placed at CAS (the district's alternative program) either face-to-face or virtually.

On process: Glover described how a referral is logged in the district's Simple Discipline system when a teacher submits it; administrators can later delete or adjust entries if deemed invalid. Board members asked for follow-up on the raw counts of teacher-entered referrals versus referrals later removed by administrators; Glover said he would check and provide that information.

Ending: the presentation prompted board discussion about whether policy or procedural changes are warranted to reduce classroom disruptions and to ensure teachers feel supported; staff agreed to provide additional detail about referral processing and expulsion outcomes for further review.