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District data show spikes in suspensions and chronic absenteeism; board presses for targeted interventions
Summary
A district report showed total suspensions rose to roughly 1,725 in 2017–18 and that 44% of African American students were identified as chronically absent. Board members and community groups pressed for targeted supports, better implementation fidelity for Safe & Supportive Schools, and clearer accountability for school leadership.
The district's Safe and Supportive Schools report presented to the Board of Education on Tuesday flagged increases in suspensions and chronic absenteeism and renewed calls for targeted interventions at high-need sites.
Chief Kevin Truitt said the district recorded approximately 1,725 total suspensions in 2017–18, a rise versus the prior year, and cautioned that elementary-school suspensions are underreported in district systems. The report showed persistent disproportionality: African American students make up about 6.4 percent of the district population but accounted for roughly 37 percent of suspensions and 34 percent of office-discipline referrals. Truitt also reported that 44 percent of African American students were identified as chronically absent (missing at least 10 percent of the school year).
Community advocates and union leaders said the numbers reinforce the need for more professional development and school-level supports. Susan Solomon of United Educators of San Francisco and others urged the district to deliver equity-focused and culturally responsive training across staffs, not just to small site teams, and to ensure whole-school implementation rather than one-off training.
Board members pressed staff on next steps: how Pupil Services tracks interventions in the district's intervention database, how principals are held accountable for school climate outcomes, and whether additional targeted investments (the PITCH strategy) will be scaled with central support. Staff said the PITCH rubric and strategy matrix are ready and that central-office supports and a fall rollout would follow; they acknowledged gaps in implementation fidelity and said targeted coaching and data audits would be part of the response.
Outcome and next steps: District staff will provide school-by-school breakdowns, analyses of suspension causes, and a plan for targeted interventions and monitoring. Board members asked for improved data capture at elementary sites and clearer alignment of accountability with principal evaluation.
