District reports sharp declines in suspensions and rising daily attendance in Q3
April 22, 2026 | Zion-Benton Twp HSD 126, School Boards, Illinois
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Dr. Rodriguez presented the district's third-quarter discipline and attendance report, telling the board that suspension incidents and referrals have declined significantly while daily attendance has inched upward.
The superintendent said more students "are making good choices," and staff presentations credited restorative interventions, increased dean visibility, peer mediation and no-phone Fridays for reductions in major discipline categories. An East-campus presenter reported a 54% reduction in suspensions and a 93.23% daily attendance rate for quarter 3.
Board members asked clarifying questions about how referral counts differ from suspension instances; district staff explained that referrals count incidents that may not always lead to suspensions and that some days see different groups of absent students, meaning average daily attendance can remain steady despite episodic absences. Staff described targeted outreach (including home visits and spirit-bus efforts) and said juvenile-justice collaboration and SRO involvement helped drive improvements.
Administrators emphasized this is ongoing work: "It's not going to be fixed in a day," one presenter said, noting the district is investing in early intervention and consistency in enforcement paired with educational responses when students are caught with devices or in conflict. The presentation closed with staff offering to continue reporting metrics and interventions at future meetings.
The board acknowledged the improvements and asked staff to continue tracking both referral trends and suspension days to show where further investments in supports should be focused.
The presentation was informational; no formal policy action was taken at this agenda item.
The superintendent said more students "are making good choices," and staff presentations credited restorative interventions, increased dean visibility, peer mediation and no-phone Fridays for reductions in major discipline categories. An East-campus presenter reported a 54% reduction in suspensions and a 93.23% daily attendance rate for quarter 3.
Board members asked clarifying questions about how referral counts differ from suspension instances; district staff explained that referrals count incidents that may not always lead to suspensions and that some days see different groups of absent students, meaning average daily attendance can remain steady despite episodic absences. Staff described targeted outreach (including home visits and spirit-bus efforts) and said juvenile-justice collaboration and SRO involvement helped drive improvements.
Administrators emphasized this is ongoing work: "It's not going to be fixed in a day," one presenter said, noting the district is investing in early intervention and consistency in enforcement paired with educational responses when students are caught with devices or in conflict. The presentation closed with staff offering to continue reporting metrics and interventions at future meetings.
The board acknowledged the improvements and asked staff to continue tracking both referral trends and suspension days to show where further investments in supports should be focused.
The presentation was informational; no formal policy action was taken at this agenda item.
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