Peoria Standard

Morton Community Unit School District 709 reported 52 suspensions or expulsions for the 2021-22 school year, according to the latest student discipline report by the Illinois State Board of Education.

According to the report, the district expelled or suspended 52 students during the year. This equates to two percent of the 3,140 students enrolled.

Students were expelled for four incidents with violence that caused physical injury, 15 incidents with violence without physical injury, one incident with alcohol and tobacco, four incidents with drugs, five incidents with a dangerous weapon, other than a firearm.

The district reported that most in-school suspensions were given for violence without injury, of which there were four. There were four incidents of unspecified reasons. For five incidents, students were suspended for one to two days.

Boy students received 27 suspensions, while 17 girls were suspended.

There were 47 elementary or middle school students, and five 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 19. There were 11 incidents of violence without injury. For 22 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	1
Violence with injury	0	4
Violence without injury	4	11
Drug offenses	0	4
Firearm	0	0
Other dangerous weapons	0	5
Tobacco	0	0
Other reason	4	19
Total	8	44

	In-school Suspension	Out-of-school Suspension
One day or less	2	3
1-2 days	5	22
2-3 days	1	3
3-4 days	0	7
4-10 days	0	9
More than 10 days	0	0