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Macon Reporter

Wednesday, September 10, 2025

De Witt County students suspended 184 times solely in 2023-24 school year

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Tony Sanders State Superintendent of Education | Official Website

Tony Sanders State Superintendent of Education | Official Website

School administrators within De Witt County reportedly handed out 184 suspensions solely during the 2023-24 school year, according to the Illinois Report Card.

In total, there were 185 disciplinary actions recorded during the school year, of which 184 were suspensions representing an average of 0.1 actions per student in the county. There was an additional case of a student being removed to alternative settings rather than being suspended or expelled.

Among the seven schools in the county, Clinton Junior High School reported the highest number of disciplinary actions at the time, with a total of 103—or 55.7% of all incidents countywide.

The county reported that most in-school suspensions where a reason was specified were given for incidents involving violence without physical injury, with 42 recorded cases. There were also 14 incidents involving violence that caused physical injury and drugs. Additionally, 37 cases were classified under "other reason" or left unspecified.

There were 145 disciplinary incidents involving male students. Another 39 incidents involved female students.

Of all suspensions issued in the De Witt County schools, 150 involved elementary or middle school students, while 34 involved high school students.

Out-of-school suspensions most commonly were for incidents involving violence without physical injury, with 34 cases reported. Additionally, 27 cases were classified under the "other reason" category.

In terms of ethnicity, white students, who made up 86.6% of the student body in De Witt County schools, were suspended the most in the county, with 157 suspensions reported during the 2023-24 school year (85.3% of all disciplinary actions). They were followed by multiracial students, who made up 4.3% of the student body, and received 15 suspensions (8.2%).

Some schools or districts may not publish complete disciplinary data due to privacy protections or reporting limitations, which could affect the totals.

Illinois allocated $8.6 billion to K-12 education in its 2025 budget—a $350 million increase over FY 2024, meeting the minimum required under the state’s school 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.

De Witt County Student Discipline Report in 2023-24 School Year
Type of IncidentIn-School SuspensionOut-of-School Suspension
Alcohol--
Violence with injury720
Violence without injury4234
Drug offenses72
Firearm--
Other dangerous weapons-1
Tobacco-7
Other reason3727
Total9391
Length of Suspensions in De Witt County in 2023-24 School Year
DurationIn-School SuspensionOut-of-School Suspension
One day or less167
1-2 days4925
2-3 days2130
3-4 days614
4-10 days19
More than 10 days-6

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