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By John McDonald
Disciplinary suspensions for students within the Central Okanagan School District continued a general downward trend last year, although some categories of transgressions climbed sharply.
School trustees received last night the suspension report prepared by director of student support services Peter Malloy.
Superintendent Hugh Gloster told trustees there were 1,616 definite suspensions meted out for the 2008/09 school year compared to 1,663 the year before. (Because of multiple offenses by some, only 1,078 students accumulated the 1,616 suspensions.)
At odds with this trend were so-called indefinite suspensions, more serious transgressions where students are suspended indefinitely.
Last year, 52 were meted out, double the 26 given out the year before, but down from previous years.
According to the suspension report, the majority of these were given to middle and secondary students for drug and behavioural offenses.
In his analysis of the numbers, Malloy credits less tolerance and increased vigilance on the part of school based administrators for the higher numbers.
Also up were serious assaults (6 last year, 1 the year before) and weapons offenses, ( 5 last year, 2 the year before).
The district has refused to reveal full details of these offenses citing protection of privacy legislation.
High schools continued to garner the bulk of indefinite suspensions with 11 at Kelowna secondary school, and 10 each at Rutland secondary and Okanagan Mission secondary.
That changes when definite suspensions are calculated. Mount Boucherie secondary topped the list with 205, but Glenrosa middle school claimed second spot with 187 suspensions.
Malloy summarizes his report by calling indefinite suspension numbers “a sign of positive progress” when compared to the high mark year of 1995/96 when the district handed out 139 of them.
Malloy credits the decreased to “proactive initiatives” such as the effective behaviour support program, school-based mental health clinicians and behaviour specialists, as well as behaviour intervention training for staff at all levels.
School trustees had little to say about the report and accepted it unanimously.
The full suspension report can be found here.
john@kelowna.com
250-575-0521
Tags: assaults, discipline, drugs, school trustees, students, suspensions, weapons
