According the the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's School Discipline report, 3% of students statewide received an out of school suspension during the 2018-19 school year. Of note 5,400 Massachusetts students were suspended for a physical fight, 5.126 for illegal substances, 941 for bullying and 71 for sexual assault. Suspensions for sexual assault in particular were up from 60 during the previous school year.
At the district level, the Phoenix Academy Charter School in Chelsea had the highest out of school suspension rate at 16.8%. Students with disabilities at Phoenix had a 34.5% out of school suspension rate and African American/Black students 27.6%.
In terms of days of school missed due to discipline, both Phoenix Academy in Chelsea and Phoenix Academy in Springfield saw 4.4% of students miss more than 10 days of school. Overall, most students in the state who were disciplined missed 1 - 3 days of school.
Some districts also employ the use of in-school suspensions. For example, Four Rivers Charter School had a 38.1% in-school suspension rate last year.
Just 9 districts reported data related to student expulsions:
- Sizer School: 0.8%
- Community Charter School of Cambridge: 0.6%
- Atlantis Charter: 0.4%
- New Heights Charter School of Brockton: 0.2%
- Brooke Charter School: 0.1%
- Foxborough Charter School: 0.1%
- Hampden-Willbraham: 0.1%
- KIPP Academy Lynn Charter: 0.1%
- Maynard: 0.1%
Further another seven districts reported at least one student who was removed to an alternate setting.
Statewide, the percentage of students receiving either in-school suspension or an out-of-school suspension remained largely the same from 2017-18 to 2018-19.
Source: www.doe.mass.edu
