Dr. Julious Lawson Superintendent | Zion Elementary School District 6
Dr. Julious Lawson Superintendent | Zion Elementary School District 6
In total, there were 395 disciplinary actions recorded during the school year, of which 391 were suspensions representing a rate of approximately 18.7 incidents per 100 of the district’s enrolled students. There were an additional four cases of students being removed to alternative settings rather than being suspended or expelled.
Among in-school suspensions where a reason was specified, the most common cause was incidents involving violence without physical injury, with 38 recorded cases. There were also 31 incidents involving violence that caused physical injury. Additionally, 165 cases were classified under "other reason" or left unspecified.
There were 273 disciplinary incidents involving male students. Another 118 incidents involved female students.
All 391 suspensions issued in the district involved elementary or middle school students.
Out-of-school suspensions most commonly were for incidents involving violence that caused physical injury, with 65 cases reported. Additionally, 42 cases were classified under the "other reason" category.
In terms of ethnicity, Black students, who made up 27.9% of the Zion Elementary School District 6 student body, were suspended the most in the district, with 228 suspensions reported during the 2023-24 school year. They were followed by Hispanic students, who made up 61.8% of the student body, and received 136 suspensions.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Alcohol | - | 1 |
| Violence with injury | 31 | 65 |
| Violence without injury | 38 | 42 |
| Drug offenses | - | 3 |
| Firearm | - | - |
| Other dangerous weapons | - | 2 |
| Tobacco | - | 2 |
| Other reason | 165 | 42 |
| Total | 234 | 157 |
| Duration | In-School Suspension | Out-of-School Suspension |
|---|---|---|
| One day or less | 8 | 13 |
| 1-2 days | 189 | 70 |
| 2-3 days | 29 | 25 |
| 3-4 days | 3 | 37 |
| 4-10 days | 5 | 11 |
| More than 10 days | - | 1 |
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