FUHSD suspension, expulsion rate highest in county

Fallbrook Union High School District (FUHSD) holds one of San Diego County’s highest suspension and expulsion rates, according to data recently released by the California State Department of Education.

Statewide, the suspension rate was 4.4 percent and the expulsion rate was 0.1 percent. Throughout San Diego County, 18,266 students, or 3.4 percent of students were suspended in the 2013-14 school year. Expulsion rates were 0.1 percent, or 482 students. The highest local suspension rates were 6.5 percent (180 students), shared by the Fallbrook Union High School District and Santee School District. Fallbrook’s expulsion rate was 0.5 percent of students (14 students).

In addition, of the 14 expulsions in Fallbrook district, four were for weapons possession, nine were illicit drug related and one was related to an incident of violence or physical injury. In regards to suspensions, 11 of the suspensions were contained within school with 10 for defiance, and 236 of the suspensions were ordered out of school. Of the out of school suspensions, 53 were for defiance.

According to Tina Jung, an information officer for the California Department of Education, this information has been quantified for the past three years as a way to detect and monitor students’ progress throughout their academic careers.

“The data is fed into our system, and we can see the high school information – which students are passing or failing, entering the military, or are expelled and/or suspended,” said Jung.

The findings regarding expulsions and suspensions for the past three years were enough to cause legislation to create AB420, which bolstered what schools were already doing to improve expulsion and suspension rates.

“[The California Department of Education] is helping come up with positive alternatives to keep kids in school and learning,” explained Jung. “The information [from collected data] is supposed to give schools a picture of what is going on so they can implement strategies to help students.”

Dr. Hugo Pedroza, FUHSD superintendent, stated that Fallbrook has not waited for the information from the education department to be released in order to begin improving suspension and expulsion procedures within the district.

“We didn’t wait for this to come up to analyze our processes,” said Pedroza. “We needed to know if we are giving students the opportunity to not be suspended and expelled.”

One issue being looked at pertains to ninth grade students who are being suspended or expelled and whether or not they are struggling to adjust to the high school culture, said Pedroza.

“We need more programs to help them acclimate a lot quicker through a supportive nature rather than a punitive one,” said Pedroza.

Pedroza also explained that the percentage of students expelled or suspended in the Fallbrook district would naturally be higher than other, larger student populations of other districts, as the system used to analyze data does not reflect the size of the school’s population. However, the percentage of expulsions and suspensions still does need to be addressed, he stated.

“If we had an average system, we would have average results,” said Pedroza. “We are not doing what other districts are doing. What we have is insufficient and not meeting the needs of our students, and we are trying to modify that and begin a positive support measure.”

Pedroza explained that this also included the possibility of anger management for defiant students, and counseling for students who are caught with drugs and drug paraphernalia.

According to the California Department of Education, there are two main types of expulsion and suspension: federal and defiance-related. In the 2013-2014 report, expelled students whose most serious offense was violating California Education Code Section 48900(k), otherwise known as “Defiance” are counted under the “Other Reason for Expulsion” category.

The federal expulsion and suspension is related to offenses that are violations that would be considered more than an offense to the California Education Code, and may be considered a federal offense of the penal code. Examples of this would be sexual battery assault, assault or battery of an employee, hazing, hate violence, or brandishing a weapon.

“These are automatic reasons for expulsion, and the schools have no choice,” explained Pedroza. “In terms of drugs and paraphernalia, schools have space, room, and a say. They can push a counseling program because drug use is very prevalent in all schools in California. Some districts have a zero tolerance, while others do not.”

Pedroza stated that the Fallbrook district has a tendency to recommend expulsion for students caught with drugs or paraphernalia.

“About 80 percent of the 15 expulsions, or 13 to 14 of the expulsions in the report are related to drugs,” said Pedroza. “But this does not mean that all students are getting high at the high school. For the past five to seven years this has been a trend in schools, and it’s how you deal with the matter.”

Jung stated that the California Department of Education is “not a court system,” and has no punishments in place for school districts that have high suspension and expulsion rates.

“We are an education department, and we are meant to help schools abide to the laws. We have no punishments for high rates, nor do we have rewards for low rates.”

In order to lessen the number of expulsions and suspensions in the school district, the Fallbrook administration has begun to utilize in-house suspension as a way to address issues.

“[With this method], students get to remain in school, in one classroom and do all six periods of their work,” said Pedroza. “Students are still able to feel the consequences of their actions without being sent home.”

Pedroza also said that 73 percent of expulsions are stipulated, with students being sent to Ivy or required to use other educational options in the district.

“Students are given the opportunity to re-enter the high school,” said Pedroza. “Expulsion is not a way to get rid of kids; it’s meant to help him or her. We are still very responsible for them, and those who may come back are not expelled one year after the next. These are very much our students.”