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Del Valle ISD discipline report shows fewer suspensions and alternative placements, trustees ask for trend totals
Summary
District staff reported declines in out-of-school suspensions (~26%) and discipline-alternative placements (~60%) compared with last year, citing changes in state rules for ISS and campus interventions; trustees asked for full-year totals and clarification of discretionary-arrest criteria.
At the Nov. 4 Del Valle ISD special meeting, Nikki Biddings presented a discipline comparison from Oct. 21, 2024 through Oct. 21, 2025, explaining program coding and reported reductions across several measures. She noted the state changed in-school suspension (ISS) rules (removing a three-day cap), which affects year-to-year comparability, and said the district now performs reviews when students exceed certain ISS counts.
Biddings walked trustees through campus-level counts (ISS, OSS, DAP/DAEP, CAPE) and highlighted a roughly 26% drop in out-of-school suspensions and a 60% drop in DAEP placements at some campuses compared to the prior-year snapshot. She attributed the improvement to intentional campus interventions, consistent behavioral expectations and progressive-discipline practices that keep students in instruction longer.
Trustees asked for broader context and full-year totals: one trustee requested a trend comparison that covers the entire prior year rather than a partial snapshot, and another raised concerns about discretionary discipline and how the district distinguishes which behaviors merit arrest versus alternative placements. Biddings said she could provide overall-year figures and explained that discretionary placement criteria and coding adjustments are factors in the reported changes.
The presentation concluded with staff offering to supply the requested trend data and further clarification at a subsequent meeting.
