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Board hears attendance and discipline report showing disproportionate removals; trustees press for targeted action
Summary
District attendance remains near state average, but board members pressed staff on disciplinary removals and racial disparities after reports showed removals comprise about 4% of total absences and disproportionately affect Black and multiracial students.
The Oshkosh Area School District’s quarterly attendance report, delivered April 23, showed the district’s overall attendance rate at about 92.9% — slightly above the state average — but prompted extended discussion after trustees viewed disciplinary removals data and disparities by race.
Assistant superintendent (or district staff presenting) reported district disciplinary removals (in-school and out-of-school suspensions) made up about 4% of total student absences and that removal days have trended down in recent years. The report also showed 17,57 days removed in the current reporting period (presented as days of removal rather than distinct students).
Trustee concerns: Several trustees, including Barb Herzog, asked for more than awareness training and cited persistent disproportionate removal rates for Black and multi-racial students, who the board heard were removed at roughly three times the rate of white students. Trustees pressed district staff for a systemic review, stronger bias and perception training for staff, outreach to families, and better preemptive strategies to reduce exclusionary discipline.
District response: Staff said the district is working on multiple approaches — student engagement, PBIS, conscious discipline, behavior interventionists and individual behavior support plans — and that they are improving incident reporting and leading indicators. Staff also said the district is automating certain attendance notifications and adding attendance codes for medically excused absences to better target letters and interventions.
Next steps: Trustees asked for continued tracking of disciplinary removals, a deeper analysis of root causes by subgroup, and additional strategies that include parent outreach. The board requested linking disciplinary data with academic outcomes to better understand impacts on attendance and achievement.
Ending: Trustees framed the issue as central to closing achievement gaps and urged the district to accelerate measurable actions to reduce disproportionate removals and the downstream effects on attendance and learning.
