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District sees overall decline in disciplinary incidents but flags middle-school hotspots and disproportionality
Summary
Student-services staff reported a drop in total disciplinary incidents driven mainly by high-school decreases, while middle schools remain a hotspot. The presentation highlighted growing use of restorative practices, persistent disproportionality for students with disabilities and Black students, and next steps for training and data reporting.
Kevin Kurtz, executive director of student services, told the board the district recorded an overall decrease of roughly 640 disciplinary incidents compared with the prior year, with most of that decline coming at the high-school level. He said middle schools continue to account for a disproportionate share of incidents.
Kurtz said restorative practices are expanding across the division and that administrators are being encouraged to prioritize classroom- and prevention-focused approaches rather than default to out-of-school suspension. He acknowledged continuing disproportionality for students with disabilities and Black students and said the division is collecting more reliable data to target interventions.
Board members asked for additional breakdowns by principal and disposition (in-school suspension, short-term STEP placements) and for short-term and in-school suspension data by race. Kurtz said he would provide those disaggregations.
Miles Nelson, coordinator of mental-health and wellness, and school counselors were presented as partners in proactive supports; the board discussed better front-end identification of IEP/504 accommodations to prevent inappropriate discipline for disability-related behaviors.
Kurtz said alternatives to punitive discipline will be a focus for professional development in classrooms and that the division will continue investing in restorative approaches and more accurate reporting.
