Trustees push workshop after data shows racial disparities in level‑1 suspensions

Board Member Edwin Ferguson led a lengthy discussion urging the board to stop suspending students for level‑1 infractions and to prioritize coaching and restorative strategies instead. Ferguson presented district data showing thousands of level‑1 suspensions since 2019 and highlighted racial disproportionality: he said that in 2019 roughly 5,300 students were suspended for level‑1 offenses and that Black students comprised a substantially larger share of those suspensions than their share of enrollment.

Ferguson argued that many level‑1 incidents reflect skill deficits or minor misbehavior that should be addressed with reteaching, reflective assignments or in‑school interventions rather than removal from the classroom. Trustees and staff described system changes already made (including a student‑information-system 'hard stop' to prevent assigning out‑of‑school suspensions for level‑1 infractions) and acknowledged challenges with inconsistent implementation at school level.

Trustees asked for more precise definitions (for example, what counts as 'repeated' or 'habitual'), requested principal and site-level input, and noted concerns about attendance and academic consequences of out‑of‑school suspensions. Superintendent Michael Burke supported a workshop and staff briefings; the board agreed by consensus to schedule a focused workshop to review discipline, attendance and related policies and requested staff provide updated data and examples before that meeting.

No formal change to policy was made at the meeting; trustees directed staff to prepare materials for a workshop in early 2025.