Education officials were quick to trumpet the success when Hamilton County schools showed a 30 percent decrease in student behavior problems last school year.
Despite the improvement, there were still nearly 13,000 student violations countywide, and a Times Free Press examination of district data shows that the number of students suspended and expelled increased or stayed the same at nearly one in five schools over the last three years.
In-school suspensions were cut nearly in half from 2009 to 2010, while out-of-school suspensions and expulsions declined by 23 percent and 15 percent, respectively. Student fights decreased by 28 percent, records show.
“Overall, yes, [behavior issues] have improved,” said Robert Sharpe, Hamilton County Schools’ director of middle schools.
However, district data show that a number of schools still experienced rampant disciplinary problems ranging from the minor (such things as violations of dress codes and cell phone rules) to the serious (guns, drugs).