Schools report decline in disciplinary incidents

Pitt County Schools saw fewer discipline problems this school year than in the previous year, the district reported.

Following two years of increases in the number of student suspensions, Coordinator of Student Services Sara English told the Board of Education that this year’s discipline update shows some movement in the right direction.

“We have a reduction of office referrals from 2022-23 to the current school year,” she said. “Out-of-school suspension assignments also showed a reduction.”

The number of office referrals, 31,999, was down more than 2,800 compared with last year’s totals. Out-of-school suspensions decreased from 9,546 in 2022-23 to 8,784 for the most recent school year, a decrease of about 8%.

The report did not list reasons for discipline referrals. State law requires schools to submit discipline data by June 30 of each year, reporting incidents including assaults, sexual offenses and possession of weapons or drugs.

According to the report, the school district saw an increase in the number of in-school suspensions, from 11,441 in 2022-23 to 12,851 in 2023-24, an increase that English said was not a bad thing.

“That means that instead of kids going off campus for out-of-school suspension it means they’re remaining on campus,” she said. “They’re losing instructional time, but they’re still with school staff.”

Schools that used the character-based curriculum Capturing Kids’ Hearts saw a 23% decline in out-of-school suspension, according to the report.

“Overall, the trend is downward,” English told the board in March. “Especially North Pitt and C.M. Eppes, we’re seeing huge reductions in the numbers of out-of-school suspension assignments.”

English said Capturing Kids’ Hearts is designed to give teachers strategies for empowering students to play a part in managing themselves in the classroom.

Capturing Kids’ Hearts, which began in 2022 at South Greenville and Northwest elementary schools and C.M. Eppes Middle School, added five schools — Belvoir, Wahl-Coates, Falkland and Lakeforest elementary schools and North Pitt High School — in 2023-24. Eight additional schools in Pitt County are scheduled to implement it next school year: Bethel, Stokes, Wellcome, Ayden Middle, Farmville Middle, Pactolus (grades 6-8), South Central, Creekside and Sugg-Bundy.

According to the discipline report, shared with school board members during a work session meeting, the number of incidents resulting in out-of-school suspension declined from 8,074 in the 2022-23 school year to 7,366 total incidents in 2023-24. In Pitt County Schools, about 3,950 students were involved in those incidents.

More male students were suspended than female students, (2,486 compared with 1,464), totaling about 20% of the district’s male student population and about 12% of its female student population. The majority of students suspended, 2,899, were black, a statistic that mirrors national trends. Black students were about three times as likely to be suspended as other groups.

But English said part of PCS’ strategic plan is to implement restorative practices and decrease the number of out-of-school suspensions in black males in middle and high schools by 10% a year. This year’s report shows a 9.9% decrease.

According to the report, schools utilize a number of interventions other than in-school or out-of-school suspensions, including counselor referrals, restriction of school privileges, parent conferences and detentions served after school or during lunch. PCS reported an increase in several interventions, including after-school and lunch detentions in the 2023-24 school year. There was a decline in the number of referrals to community alternative to suspension programs, from 711 last year to 621 in 2023-24.