Union Ridge School District 86 reported 20 suspensions during the 2023-24 school year, according to the Illinois Report Card.
In total, there were 20 disciplinary actions recorded during the school year, representing a rate of approximately 3.1 incidents per 100 of the district’s enrolled students.
Among in-school suspensions all cases were classified under “other reason” or left unspecified.
There were 15 disciplinary incidents involving male students. Another five incidents involved female students.
All 20 suspensions issued in the district involved elementary or middle school students.
Out-of-school suspensions most commonly were for incidents involving a dangerous weapon other than a firearm and violence without physical injury, with two cases reported. Additionally, seven cases were classified under the “other reason” category.
In terms of ethnicity, white students, who made up 63.3% of the Union Ridge School District 86 student body, were suspended the most in the district, with 10 suspensions reported during the 2023-24 school year. They were followed by Hispanic students, who made up 24.6% of the student body, and received seven suspensions.
Illinois has approved a 2025 budget that allocates $8.6 billion to K-12 education, a $350 million increase from the previous fiscal year—the minimum required under the state 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.
| Type of Incident | In-School Suspension | Out-of-School Suspension |
|---|---|---|
| Alcohol | – | – |
| Violence with injury | – | – |
| Violence without injury | – | 1 |
| Drug offenses | – | – |
| Firearm | – | – |
| Other dangerous weapons | – | 1 |
| Tobacco | – | – |
| Other reason | 11 | 7 |
| Total | 11 | 9 |
| Duration | In-School Suspension | Out-of-School Suspension |
|---|---|---|
| One day or less | – | – |
| 1-2 days | 11 | 5 |
| 2-3 days | – | 3 |
| 3-4 days | – | – |
| 4-10 days | – | 1 |
| More than 10 days | – | – |
