By LEAH DEARBORN
LYNN — The school committee followed up on a pledge to investigate suspension data across schools at a meeting last Monday.
Deputy Superintendent Dr. Patrick Tutwiler said that ever since the passage of new legislation in 2014, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has run regular analysis on school suspension rates.
“They put school’s business out on the streets, so to speak,” said Tutwiler.
Tutwiler said that every school in the city is meeting state expectations and that suspension rates have been going down overall for the past several years. One sub-group of students is not being suspended at a higher rate than any other, he said.
Tutwiler said that while there is a higher percentage of suspensions among some groups, such as Hispanics, it isn’t disproportionate to the 61 percent Hispanic student body at Lynn English High School.
The committee focused on suspension data at the high school level since there were few suspensions in the elementary and middle schools.
Factors of race, special education status and income were compared in correlation to suspension rates and causes of suspension. The most common causes of suspension across the schools were failure to show up for detention and repetitive tardiness.
While one school does not have an in-school suspension policy, the committee clarified that Saturday detention exists as an alternative means of holding students accountable.
At a previous meeting, committee member Jared Nicholson questioned why a disparity in suspension numbers across schools existed if suspension policies were being implemented consistently.
During a phone call after the meeting, committee Vice-Chair Patricia Capano emphasized the impact of school-based management on the data.
“Each principal has the right and the duty to manage each school as they see fit, but we don’t have across-the-board policies,” said Capano. “That’s important because you’re going to see that each of these schools are different.”
An ad hoc uniform committee also met for the first time at the meeting. Its members made plans to look into the issue of school uniforms by reaching out for feedback from teachers, principals and students.