For immediate release
March 5, 2015
Public School Crime and Violence, Suspensions and
Corporal Punishment Down; Expulsions Hold Steady in 2013-14
The total number of reportable acts of school crime and violence, short- and long-term
suspensions and the use of corporal punishment decreased for the third year in a row
although the number of expulsions remained the same according to the 2013-14
Consolidated Data Report today presented to State Board of Education members. The
total number of acts of school crime and violence was the lowest reported since 2008-09
while the number of students in North Carolina public schools was at an all-time high of
1,509,985.
State Superintendent June Atkinson said a positive learning environment is essential for
strong classroom instruction and high student achievement. “Our goal is for all students
to be fully engaged and focused on success in the classroom. When teachers, school
leaders, and parents encourage positive behavior, we will continue to see a decrease in
dropouts, suspensions and expulsions and an increase in the high school graduation rate.”
Key findings of the 2013-14 Consolidated Data Report show that:
School Crime and Violence
• The total number of reported acts of school crime and violence decreased by 4.7
percent to 10,132 from 10,630 acts in 2012-13. The rate of acts per 1,000 students also
decreased by 5.7 percent to 6.79 acts per 1,000 students as compared to 7.20 acts per
1,000 students in 2012-13.
• Schools are required to report 16 offenses that occur on campus or school property. Of
those reported, dangerous or violent offenses account for 3.4 percent or 343. The most
frequently reported acts involved illegal possession of controlled substances, weapons
(excluding firearms or powerful explosives) or alcoholic beverages, and assault on school
personnel. These four acts accounted for 95 percent or 9,630 of the total number of
reported acts.
• Seventy-eight percent or 1,982 schools reported five or less acts of crime and violence.
• Five districts – Graham, Hyde, Jones, Tyrrell and Washington – reported zero acts at
the 9-13 grade levels.
Suspensions and Expulsions
• Short-term suspensions (10 days or fewer) among students in all grades decreased by
20 percent in 2013-14. There were 198,254 short-term suspensions reported as opposed
to the 247,919 reported in 2012-13. Of that total, 42.5 percent or 84,295 can be attributed
to high school students, which is a 24.1 percent decrease from the 2012-13 total of
111,122. The average duration of a single short-term suspension was 2.97 days, up from
2.74 days in 2012-13.
• Long-term suspensions (11 days or more) declined among students in all grades in
2013-14, with 1,088 reported. This is a 23.5 percent decrease from the 1,423 reported in
2012-13. High school students received 714 or 65.6 percent of long-term suspensions,
which was a 27.3 percent decrease from the 982 reported in 2012-13. The average
duration of a long-term suspension was 62.6 school days, up from 49.3 days per
suspension in 2012-13.
• Expulsions remained the same in 2013-14 at 37. High school students received 34 of
those expulsions, up from the 28 reported the previous year.
Corporal Punishment
• Districts that employ corporal punishment reported 122 uses, a 39.9 percent decrease
from the 203 reported in 2012-13. Of the 113 students reported as receiving corporal
punishment, 105 received corporal punishment once, while eight students received it two
or more times.
• Corporal punishment was used by five school districts, down from nine the previous
year.
• The use of corporal punishment is a local school board policy.
The full report detailing district-by-district data on all of these measures is available
online at www.ncpublicschools.org/research/discipline/reports/.