Illinois Valley Times

Coal City Community Unit School District 1 reported 116 suspensions or expulsions for the 2021-22 school year, according to the latest student discipline report by the Illinois State Board of Education.

The district removed two students to alternative settings instead of suspending or expelling them. This equates to less than one percent of the 2,056 students enrolled.

Students were expelled for nine incidents with violence that caused physical injury, six incidents with violence without physical injury, 37 incidents with alcohol and tobacco, six incidents with drugs, four incidents with a dangerous weapon, other than a firearm.

The district reported that most in-school suspensions were given for unspecified reasons, of which there were 39. There were 22 incidents of tobacco. For 35 incidents, students were suspended for one to two days.

Boy students received 88 suspensions, while 28 girls were suspended.

There were 61 elementary or middle school students, and 55 high school students suspended in 2021-22 school year.

The district reported that most out-of-school suspensions were given for unspecified reasons, of which there were 15. There were 11 incidents of tobacco. For 16 incidents, students were suspended for one to two days.

Illinois ranks as the 5th state in terms of the overall number of schools and student enrollment among all states.

Illinois lawmakers enacted laws in 2015 to restrict schools from disciplining a disproportionate number of Black and minority students out of school and into the criminal justice system, often for minor misbehavior.

	In-school Suspension	Out-of-school Suspension
Alcohol	0	4
Violence with injury	4	5
Violence without injury	5	1
Drug offenses	2	4
Firearm	0	0
Other dangerous weapons	1	3
Tobacco	22	11
Other reason	39	15
Total	73	43

	In-school Suspension	Out-of-school Suspension
One day or less	0	0
1-2 days	35	16
2-3 days	15	13
3-4 days	23	6
4-10 days	0	8
More than 10 days	0	0