Tony Sanders State Superintendent of Education | Official Website
Tony Sanders State Superintendent of Education | Official Website
In total, there were 144 disciplinary actions recorded during the school year, of which 142 were suspensions or expulsions, representing a rate of approximately 51.1 incidents per 100 of the district’s enrolled students. There were an additional two cases of students being removed to alternative settings rather than being suspended or expelled.
The expulsions were issued for six incidents involving drugs.
Among in-school suspensions where a reason was specified, the most common cause was incidents involving violence without physical injury, with 23 recorded cases. There were also 14 incidents involving tobacco. Additionally, 72 cases were classified under "other reason" or left unspecified.
There were 102 disciplinary incidents involving male students. Another 40 incidents involved female students.
Of all suspensions issued in the district, 122 involved elementary or middle school students, while 14 involved high school students.
Out-of-school suspensions most commonly were for incidents involving violence without physical injury and violence that caused physical injury, with 12 cases reported. Additionally, 10 cases were classified under the "other reason" category.
All of the students suspended or expelled during the 2023-24 school year in Shawnee Community Unit School District 84 were white, who made up 93.2% of the district’s student population.
Illinois has approved a 2025 budget that allocates $8.6 billion to K-12 education, a $350 million increase from the previous fiscal year—the minimum required under the state funding formula.
In 2024, Illinois registered a teacher retention rate of almost 90%. Yet, around 91% of superintendents reported having a 'serious' problem teacher shortage problem. In total, almost 4,100 teaching positions remained vacant by the end of the year.
“They’re putting a substitute in there, that’s somebody with a four-year degree that’s not in teaching. They’re using a retired teacher…or worse than that, they’re canceling the class, putting the kids in other classrooms, putting them in study hall, but those are strategies we have to use if there’s no qualified teacher,” said Beth Crider, regional superintendent of Peoria County Regional Office of Education #48.
| Type of Incident | In-School Suspension | Out-of-School Suspension | Expelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alcohol | - | - | - |
| Violence with injury | - | 6 | - |
| Violence without injury | 23 | 6 | - |
| Drug offenses | - | 2 | 6 |
| Firearm | - | - | - |
| Other dangerous weapons | - | - | - |
| Tobacco | 14 | 3 | - |
| Other reason | 72 | 10 | - |
| Total | 109 | 27 | 6 |
| Duration | In-School Suspension | Out-of-School Suspension |
|---|---|---|
| One day or less | 43 | 1 |
| 1-2 days | 52 | 9 |
| 2-3 days | 10 | 9 |
| 3-4 days | 4 | 5 |
| 4-10 days | - | 2 |
| More than 10 days | - | 1 |
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