Wake Schools suspensions are down slightly but behavior issues still worse than pre-pandemic, officials say

Suspensions of Wake County students are down slightly, but special needs students and students of color continue to be suspended more often than their nondisabled and white peers, new data shows.

At the same time, Wake schools are reporting more behavior incidents in schools, the most common transgressions being skipping class and not following directions.

Schools leaders told the school board’s student achievement committee Tuesday that they’re training educators on how to de-escalate major conflicts and help kids manage their emotions.

They’re seeing teachers apply their training even during everyday interactions with students, like greeting students by name at the front door of the school or teaching students behavior management skills.

“This kind of work is necessary, Superintendent Robert Taylor said. “We absolutely see this taking place.”

School board members say they want kids in class more often and not suspended but acknowledge that’s a work in progress.

“Ever since the pandemic, school looks completely differently,” said Tyler Swanson, committee chairman.

In-school suspensions are down to 16,237 last school year, from 16,262 the year before that, a drop of less than 1%. Short-term, out-of-school suspensions are down to 12,775 last year from 13,193 the year before that, about 3%. Behavior incidents are up 5.5%, to 91,508 incidents last year from 86,726 incidents the year before that.

Black and Hispanic students and students with disabilities continue to be disproportionately suspended, compared to white and nondisabled peers. Black students made up 21% of Wake students last year but comprised 57% of all suspensions. Hispanic boys made up 10% of Wake students last year but 14% of all suspensions. Students with disabilities made up 11% of Wake students last year but comprised 38% of all suspensions.

That’s a common problem in school systems throughout North Carolina and the nation. Both here and elsewhere, families of children with disabilities often consider suspension of those children to be undercounted because of how often principals ask them to pick up their children from school without suspending them.

School district officials told WRAL News one way they are addressing those disparities is by constantly encouraging school staff to look at their data and incidents to make sure they’re addressing students’ needs.

Taylor said he’s consulting with leaders within the system about restructuring the exceptional children’s department, which serves special education students, and how services will be offered.

Jenice Ramirez, co-executive director of Education Justice Alliance, wasn’t surprised by the numbers released Tuesday but called them “deeply disturbing and egregious.”

The Wake-based group focused on reducing suspensions and interactions with police in school. It opposes school resource officers and supports school counselors. The school board, as a body, has supported both officers and counselors.

Ramirez noted that Black and Hispanic students account for more than 70% of suspensions, with some schools reporting that 100% of suspended students are Black.

“This highlights systemic inequities that extend beyond individual educator training, showing us the need to cultivate a culture that genuinely cares for all students… and why we encourage families to dig into the data and know their rights,” Ramirez said in a statement to WRAL News.

The group urges the school system to use its recently awarded grant dollars for mental health to address the root causes of behavior issues.

“Transformative change is not only possible; it is necessary,” she said.

Other data from the school system shared in board members’ packets Tuesday showed racial disparities in student referrals to law enforcement, as well, with more referrals being for African-American students — 52.7% of all referrals in middle school and 43.2% of all referrals in high school last year. Black students comprised 21.4% of all Wake County students last year. WRAL News requested prior years of data on law enforcement referrals, but the district did not have any.

Overall “behavior incidents” have gone up to 91,508 incidents last school year, from 86,726 incidents the year before, a 5.5% increase. Those could be minor to major behavior challenges that result in little to serious punishment, and they are most commonly skipping class and not following instructions, said Paul Walker, district senior director of student due process and alternative education. During the 2018-19 school year – the last before Covid-19 pandemic disruptions, there were 78,640 reported behavior incidents.

The Wake County Public School System has typically had a far lower discipline rate than the other major school systems in North Carolina.

The school board is currently reviewing its discipline policies to see if they’re doing enough to manage student behavior.

School discipline practices have often been criticized for being subjective and inconsistently applied by educators. However, critics of school discipline also disagree on whether students are being suspended too much or not enough.

Students who are suspended once often get suspended again.

While out-of-school suspensions topped 12,000 last year, fewer than 8,000 students overall were suspended.

More than 40% of suspensions handed out last school year were for a student who had already been suspended during the year.

One school that took an active approach to reducing suspensions was an elementary school: Walnut Creek Elementary. The school suspended students 107 times last school year, down from 153 times the year before.

There, the school focused on “restorative” practices that help students get along, when it made sense. Teachers were trained on classroom management plans and helping children improve their emotional regulation, including what to do when students are struggling in a particular way, said DeShawna Gooch, district director of behavioral health support services.

District officials also visited the school a handful of times to work with staff. Suspension rates declined across racial groups but still showed disparities between them.

Elementary schools had about 2,800 suspensions last year, about 22% of the districtwide total. Middle schools had about 4,800 suspensions, and high schools had about 5,100 suspensions.

Board Member Lynn Edmonds asked district leaders what help they need toward improving student behavior in the district's next budget.

“Probably our largest struggling — while we would always want more money — is time,” said Stacey Wilson-Norman, the district’s chief academic advancement officer.

Leaders need to be able to offer professional development to all teachers and hope to soon. But they’ll need access to teachers outside of the regular school day and the summer, Wilson-Norman said.