The number of suspensions in Montgomery County public elementary, middle and high schools dropped dramatically over the past two years.
During the 2007-08 school year, 13 of the district’s 25 high schools had 100 or more students suspended for offenses ranging from carrying weapons to disrupting class. In 2008-09, only four high schools had 100 or more students suspended: Montgomery Blair and Springbrook in Silver Spring, Col. Zadok Magruder in Rockville, and Gaithersburg High School.
The data is detailed in the district’s School Safety and Security at a Glance report, released in October and to be discussed Monday before the County Council.
Among the county’s 38 middle schools, 11 saw 40 or more students suspended, down from 24 schools in 2007-08. The highest rate was at Rockville’s Francis Scott Key Middle where 91 students received at least one suspension, down from 149 in 2007-08. Germantown’s Neelsville Middle suspended 81 students, down from 91 the year before.
At the elementary level, only 7 schools suspended more than 10 students, down from 25 schools in 2007-08. Silver Spring’s Fairland Elementary had the highest number of suspended students last year at 20, up from 13 the prior year.
The biggest drops were seen in suspensions for the category labeled “disrespect, insubordination or disruption,” a sign that schools are doing more on campus to deal with non-violent offenders.
“It’s the old adage: if kids are not in school, then they’re not learning,” said School Board President Shirley Brandman.
In response to a rise in suspensions earlier in the decade, the district put together a task force to figure out ways to bring down the numbers.
The task force determined that suspensions should be based on behavior that is “both disruptive and detrimental to the operation of the school,” Brandman said. In addition, the district bulked up its training of teachers in positive behavior strategies.
“If there is an incident but it is not disruptive to the educational process, then we need to find ways to deal with that without removing the student from the school house,” Brandman said.
