District'level discipline report shows few categorized violent incidents but notable suspensions and declines in chronic absenteeism

The Berlin Township School District presented its semiannual Student Safety Data System (SSDS) report, summarizing incidents the district must report to the state between Sept. 1 and Dec. 31.

The presenter explained categories reported under SSDS (violence, vandalism, weapons, substance incidents, HIB alleged/confirmed, and removals). For the fall reporting period, JFK showed one contact incident and four simple threats; there were no vandalism or weapons incidents reported at JFK and no substance incidents. The report listed 13 removals at JFK that led to suspension, attributed to code-of-conduct violations under the district's new code of conduct.

At the middle school, the presenter reported one substance-possession incident, two alleged HIB incidents that were not confirmed, and four other suspensions for non-HIB reasons. The presenter cautioned that a category described in the report as a "contact" incident at elementary grade levels often denotes inappropriate touching between students rather than more serious assault.

Board members discussed expectations that some counts may rise in the next reporting cycle and noted differences in school enrollment sizes when comparing raw counts. Separately, the record shows the district goals include lowering chronic absenteeism: the presenter later said JFK's chronic absenteeism dropped from 26.44 percent last year to 17.18 percent currently, and the middle school dropped from 20.97 percent to about 16 percent.

The board did not take action on the report but used it as a basis for continuing attendance and safety efforts.