Northshore: incidents up but suspensions down as principals increase restorative administrative conferences

Northshore School District reported a rise in recorded disciplinary incidents this year alongside a substantial drop in suspensions, a pattern district staff attributed to increased use of administrative conferences and restorative practices by principals.

Dr. David Wellington, executive director of schools, told the board that overall incidents were up about 15% year‑over‑year, with middle school incidents up approximately 43% (roughly 300 additional students) while high‑school incidents declined about 21% and elementary incidents were essentially flat. He said the apparent increase in incidents does not translate into more suspensions: the district recorded 91 fewer suspended students compared with prior years and suspension totals were lower than in a comparable pre‑pandemic year (2018).

Shift in responses: Dr. Wellington said that administrative consequences — principal conferences and other restorative administrative actions — rose markedly. Administrative conferences increased roughly 92% districtwide (from 807 to 1,547 recorded incidents) and rose more than 260% in middle school in the most recent year. Where previously many incidents ended in detention or suspension, staff reported a larger share are now resolved through restorative administrative conversations with principals.

Effect and equity: presenters said the change in how incidents are handled affected students across demographic groups. Administrative conferences increased across groups (for example, staff reported increases of 223% for white students, 387% for Asian students, 250% for Black/African‑American students and 344% for Hispanic/Latinx students). Dr. Wellington framed the shift as an effort to reduce disproportionate suspension rates and to treat incidents as teachable moments.

What that means for practice: the board discussed the tradeoff of administrative time — principals are spending more hours on conferences — and asked staff to provide tables tracking whether administrative conferences reduce repeat incidents for the same students. Dr. Wellington said he would provide that analysis. He also emphasized that data represent individual students and that the district’s work is aimed at improving supports rather than “punishing” students.

Next steps: staff said they will provide more granular tables at board request, including tables on repeat administrative conferences by student and further breakdowns by school and incident type. The district will continue to track whether the shift to restorative administrative responses reduces recidivism and disproportionality over time.