CCSD reports drop in suspensions and expulsions; trustees press for targeted supports and staffing data

Kevin McPartland, associate superintendent, told the Clark County School District Board of Trustees on June 26 that student disciplinary actions were down through the third quarter of the 2024–25 school year and that the district was expanding restorative approaches alongside its multi-tiered system of supports.

The district’s presentation to trustees — delivered by McPartland with assistant superintendent Sam Scovella and Brandy March, director of the multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) — showed a roughly 10% decrease in total suspensions compared with the same point last year, which McPartland described as “approximately 2,200 fewer suspensions.” Elementary-level suspensions were down about 13%, middle schools 11% and high schools 8%. The district also reported an 8% reduction in discretionary expulsions through the same period.

The report said restorative resolutions documented districtwide reached 28,056 for the year, a figure McPartland and Scovella connected to expanded training and an increase in school-based restorative leadership teams. “Our primary challenge continues to be shifting mindsets and practices towards restorative approaches while maintaining student and staff safety as the highest priority,” Scovella said.

Why it matters

District staff framed the numbers as evidence that a coherent MTSS strategy and increased staffing/training can reduce exclusionary discipline and keep students in school. Trustees pressed staff to explain how gains were being measured, how supports were being targeted to groups facing higher rates of…