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District discipline report: semester‑1 office referrals rise but exclusionary suspensions hold steady; board asks for targeted interventions
Summary
District staff reported semester‑1 discipline data showing a rise in office referrals in the second quarter but relatively stable exclusionary consequences (in‑school and out‑of‑school suspension). Staff identified top offense categories, disparities by subgroup, and next steps for targeted interventions and principal-led best-practice sharing.
District officials presented semester‑1 discipline statistics and next steps after the March 3 board work session, reporting an increase in total office referrals during the board’s second-quarter period but relatively steady overall exclusionary consequences (in‑school suspension and out‑of‑school suspension) compared to the previous year.
Assistant Superintendent for Student Support Services Tracy Metcalfe and Captain Gooch (Moore County Schools police) described the district’s discipline reporting cadence, which disaggregates office referrals, exclusionary consequences and police referrals. Staff said the district has added a requested breakout of “aggressive behavior” and “bus fights” for board review. Data showed that while the number of referrals increased in quarter 2, many incidents were level‑1 or level‑2 infractions that principals addressed with in‑school measures; OSS decreased slightly overall.
Analysis of offenses by category identified the district’s three largest offense groups as (1) inappropriate behavior (noncompliance, inappropriate language, visual material concerns), (2) aggressive behavior (physical and non‑physical, including assaults), and (3) disruptive behavior. Staff disaggregated those offenses by grade spans and subgroups and reported overrepresentation for students with disabilities and for Black and multi‑racial students in some categories. Most students (over 90% in each key category) had four or fewer referrals, and bus‑fight incidents remained under 1% of total enrollment.
Captain Gooch outlined diversionary and alternative responses: a First‑Time Offender “Second Chance” program run by SROs, Teen Court (county program run by juveniles with adult oversight) and referrals to the Department of Juvenile Justice for more serious incidents. Staff said principals and SROs are coordinating these diversion options and that the district is analyzing data to identify repeat offenders and escalate interventions earlier.
Board members asked for follow‑up on specific schools that showed sharp variations in numbers and asked staff to examine repeat-offender patterns and early‑intervention opportunities such as more consistent minor‑incident tracking and school‑based supports.
Ending: District staff will continue quarterly reporting, pursue targeted school supports where needed and return further analysis of repeat offenders and school‑level mitigation strategies at future leadership and board meetings.
