At the Evanston/Skokie District 65 School Board meeting tonight, an administration report will show a decrease in suspensions in January through March compared to the same months last year, though black students were still suspended at a higher rate than whites.
However, the report also shows 115 suspension incidents for the full school year to date compared to 99 for the same period last year.
The number of suspension incidents as well as the number of days students were out of school for the third quarter of 2018 were both lower than the same period in 2017.
In the third quarter, 60 percent of the students suspended were black, compared to 63 percent year-to-date.
About one third of the suspension incidents were caused by disrespectful, aggressive or threatening behavior, with another one quarter triggered by disrespect of school authority.
The suspension report released last January for the second quarter showed a marked increase in the number of suspensions for the year over the prior year and triggered a discussion at the board’s Policy Committee.
The regular meeting of the school board will be held at 7 p.m. Monday at the Hill Education Center, 1500 McDaniel Ave.