Parents and advocates press Hillsborough board for discipline data, consistent instruction during exclusions
Summary
Multiple parents and community leaders told the Hillsborough County School Board that Black and Latino students are overrepresented in suspensions and alternative placements and urged monthly public data releases, a task force, and consistent academic work for students while excluded.
Jeanette Horch Smith, a parent and member of the district student code of conduct committee, told the Hillsborough County School Board that the district’s own records show Black students account for a disproportionate share of suspension days and described a case of a student who has missed 30 days of school this year because of repeated suspensions. "This is not a coincidence," she said, and asked the board to publish monthly discipline data disaggregated by race, provide every school a one-page advocacy guide for parents, and form a task force to reduce discipline disparities.
Other public speakers echoed Horch Smith’s concerns. A community leader pointed to district patterns showing higher exclusion rates for Black and Latino students and framed removal from instruction as an academic—not just behavioral—decision. Parents and advocates described inconsistent practices across schools: some schools provide credit-bearing work when students are assigned to in-district alternative programs (ATOSS/ATOS 2), while others do not, leaving affected students behind academically.
Several speakers asked the board for clarity about the role and oversight of transition coordinators who support students placed in alternative programs, and about how long students actually stay in ATOSS placements. Tina Williams Brewster, who reviewed Focus-portal data, also said the district must ensure data integrity and parent access to records, calling for "connections, not contact connections" and for an unbiased community representative to sit on change-of-placement and appeals hearings.
Superintendent Ayers and staff acknowledged the concerns and committed to providing the board with more detailed data and the district’s explanations for current practices. During member remarks later in the meeting, board members reiterated questions about the length of ATOSS assignments, who manages hearings and transition coordinators, and what fidelity checks ensure consistent implementation across schools. Ayers said staff would return detailed information to the board.
The board did not take formal action on these public requests during the meeting. Speakers asked for measurable steps: public monthly releases of disaggregated discipline data, explicit requirements that all schools provide credit-bearing assignments during exclusions, and a district-level task force that includes community representation. Board members asked staff to follow up with data and concrete answers.
