Central SD 13J says attendance rose in November; suspensions fell as district readies code of conduct
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Summary
District officials reported November regular attendance at 69% (up six points year over year) and an 8 percentage-point decline in suspensions compared with the 2021–22 baseline. Staff previewed a new code-of-conduct handbook for families to standardize K–12 discipline.
District staff told the board that attendance and discipline are now part of a regular monthly data update. “Our November data is 69% and a 6 percentage point increase from the previous year,” an unidentified district staff member said, calling the change “a huge win.”
The report showed gains across priority groups: attendance for students experiencing disabilities rose by about nine percentage points year over year, and attendance for economically disadvantaged students rose roughly seven points in November. Staff attributed increases to targeted building-level strategies, family communication, classroom engagement efforts and incentives.
On discipline, staff reported a downward trend in suspensions compared with the 2021–22 baseline of 620 districtwide suspensions. For November the district recorded four fewer suspensions than the prior year and described this as an eight-percentage-point decrease in suspension rates. District administrators emphasized ongoing monthly data-cleanup to ensure time-coded incidents are accurate.
To address concerns about inconsistent discipline practices across schools, staff previewed a new code-of-conduct/parent handbook that clarifies discipline levels and whether incidents are handled in classroom, administratively or escalate to suspension/expulsion. The staff plan calls for a family-facing release and implementation in January, with principals already using the guide as informal practice.
