Roseville board hears climate report showing declines in suspensions but persistent racial disparities in discipline

The Roseville Area School Board on March 31 heard a detailed school climate presentation from district staff showing mixed progress: overall office referrals and suspensions have declined from pre‑pandemic highs, but racial disparities persist in discipline data.

Executive Director of Teaching and Learning Jake Vandelindy and the district’s associate superintendent presented Tripod staff survey results, Minnesota Student Survey findings and the district’s own social‑emotional learning and equity survey. They said staff ratings of evaluation clarity remain relatively strong, while measures such as time spent on common formative assessments and professional learning community activities have softened in some years.

The discussion turned to behavior data, where presenters highlighted that aggregate reductions have not eliminated disproportionality. The district’s composite measure showed BIPOC students are overrepresented in suspensions (a composite ratio near 1.4), with Black and multi‑racial students experiencing the largest gaps. Presenters stressed that many referrals occur in unstructured locations — playgrounds, lunchrooms and hallways — and that non‑licensed staff who supervise those settings do not always receive the same training as teachers.

“Discipline is not punishment. Discipline is helping a child solve a problem,” a district presenter said, framing the issue as an adult and system responsibility rather than a deficit in students. Staff described next steps that include a review of Policy 520 with the district safety and security team and the Equity Leadership Advisory Committee, creation of a supporting‑student‑success and non‑exclusionary discipline committee, and investment in restorative circles and SEL curriculum review.

Board members pressed staff on causes and remedies. They noted that fewer students now present with high‑level needs but that those students’ needs are often more complex, and they asked for more disaggregated analysis (by site, by disability/IEP status and by location of incidents) to guide interventions. Staff said the district will use survey and discipline results to inform professional development, expand cultural competence work and replicate successful practices from better‑performing schools.

The presentation also included student‑survey findings showing most students report they can do well in school and that a majority say teachers care about them, though there are race‑based differences in perceptions of fairness and representation in classroom materials. District presenters said technical issues reduced participation in one survey administration but that the overall sample remains representative.

The board did not take formal action on the climate materials but directed staff to continue analyzing the data, to return with policy review outcomes and to work on systemwide, non‑exclusionary strategies for reducing disparities.