Is suspension data truly reflective of Black students in Durham County grades K-12?

 As I continue to research, and present results based on the qualitative study referencing strategies to reduce/eliminate the suspension/expulsion of African American preschoolers I was asked to submit a proposal on this topic for Durham County Public Schools kindergarten teachers. Therefore, I needed to retrieve information compiled by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction 2018-19 school year suspension data.

Initially, when I reviewed the data my mouth fell open of the data disparity reflective for Black students versus White students.  It should be noted that the data was not broken down by grade level, but I was able to compare elementary schools that are in more minority communities as opposed to ones not.  The chart below presents the overall data for short- term suspension, long-term suspension and expulsion.  

Gender	Race or Ethnicity	Short-term suspension	Long-term suspension	Expulsion
Female	Black	1,025	6	0
Female	White	41	0	0
Male	Black	1,987	31	0
Male	White	169	0	0

(Source:  https://www.dpi.nc.gov/data-reports/dropout-and-discipline-data/discipline-alp-and-dropout-annual-reports)

According to Article 27 115C-390.5 defines short-term suspension as the removal of student from school and school activities for a period from fraction of one (1) day through ten (10) school days duration.  Along with section 115C-390.7 defines long-term suspension as the temporary withdrawal of the privilege of attending a school by a student for a period not less than eleven and not more than one hundred eighty consecutive days (https://www.ncleg.net/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/ByArticle/Chapter_115C/Article_27.html).  In addition, Durham Public Schools ranks 64 out of 100 counties with short-term suspension (Roadmap of Need 2019, Public School Forum of NC).

The research continued by reviewing Durham Public Schools Student-Parent Handbook for short-term suspension alternatives for grades 3-8.  “Students who are administratively assigned a short-term suspension in grades 3-8 will be offered the opportunity by school administration to complete the short-term suspension at New Directions Center (NDC) or the Lakeview Intervention Center (Dearborn Drive).  During a student’s assignment to NDC, the student will continue his/her learning and develop skills to decrease the likelihood of future incidents.  Transportation is provided for all assigned students after the first day of suspension.  Students who attend NDC and the Lakeview Intervention Center will have their short-term suspension (STS) re-coded to an in-school suspension (ISS) (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-r3e6kc40G6DTcIyWXgmsnnCPDh5-CAH/view ,page 22).

All this information raised questions of whether African American parents/legal guardians sign off on for the short-term suspension alternatives that would be re-coded for the child as an in-school suspension for the reason White students’ numbers are lower than Black peers?  Were counselors relaying this information clearly as an option for the child and parents/legal guardians still opted to have their children on short-term suspension?  Is this a lack of knowledge which widens the opportunity versus academic gaps for an even educational playing field for all students?  What happens to students in grades K-2 for short-term suspension are parents/legal guardians given any alternatives than have it re-coded? 

Based upon the unanswered questions, but the data it looks bleak for Black students with the high numbers of short- term suspensions where they are missing instructional time with teachers and grade peers. We must advocate ensuring that Black parents/legal guardians in particularly understand school district’s alternatives for short-term suspensions so the students will not continue down the pathway of being a drop-out, criminal justice system, lower academic performance and other factors.  The goal should be that Black students graduate high school, become gainfully employed or continue education plight towards becoming productive citizens of society.  Yes, it is all our work ensuring the future generations have every opportunity towards successful lives.

 

References

Chapter 115C – Article 27 – NC General Assembly retrieved from https://www.ncleg.net/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/ByArticle/Chapter_115C/Article_27.html

Durham Public School 2020-21 Student/Family Handbook retrieved from https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-r3e6kc40G6DTcIyWXgmsnnCPDh5-CAH/view

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction Discipline, ALP and Dropout Annual Reports retrieved from https://www.dpi.nc.gov/data-reports/dropout-and-discipline-data/discipline-alp-and-dropout-annual-reports  

Roadmap of Need 2019 – Public School Forum of North Carolina retrieved from https://www.ncforum.org/?s=roadmap