Oak Park and River Forest High School experienced a 20 percent drop in discipline infractions during the first semester of the 2011-12 school year compared to fall semester of the previous year.
OPRF officials credit the drop to the school’s increased effort to find alternative consequences for students, such a counseling.
The school also saw a decline in expulsions in the first semester year over year. In fall of 2010, OPRF expelled six students. Just one student has been expelled from the school to date in the 2011-12 school year.
First semester discipline data was released at the March 22 school board meeting. Students coming late to class continue to account for most infractions. The majority of consequences handed out in the first semester related to students failing to serve a detention after being tardy.
Sophomores, according to the data, accumulated the most infractions with 1,103, followed by juniors with about 900. Seniors accounted for 887 infractions, while freshmen had the fewest infractions last fall at 710.
The majority of first semester infractions occurred among black students, with African-American males racking up the most, continuing a trend at OPRF over the last decade or so.
OPRF Principal Nathaniel Rouse said the school has made an effort to give students alternative consequences, such as counseling or restricting lunches.
“It’s easy to issue consequences — we do that very well — but how do you change student behavior?” Rouse asked rhetorically at last Thursday’s board meeting.
Jeremiah Wiencek, assistant principal for student services, whose department oversees discipline at the high school, said the disproportionate number of black students in the discipline system remains a concern.
“Our code of conduct is broken more by students of color. Our detention program and policy is not working; something needs to change there,” he said.
Board member Amy McCormack was concerned with the number of students suspended.
“Most of these kids are African American. We keep talking about the achievement gap, but when we’re taking these kids out of class, we have a real problem, in my opinion,” she said.
Rouse said when students receive an in-school suspension (ISS), they’re not just sitting in a room somewhere but are studying with adult supervision.
“With those in-school suspensions, they can obtain help and have the opportunity to do their work or talk with their teachers. We provide that for them,” Rouse said.
He also noted that OPRF’s model of issuing in-school suspensions is unique compared to other high schools, which issue the traditional out-of-school suspensions. OPRF does that in more severe cases.
