HOPE — Parents of Hauser Jr.-Sr. High School students may be wondering about a substantial increase in the number of in-school suspensions and overall suspensions in comparisons between the 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 school years.
The report shows that Hauser Jr.-Sr. High School’s in-school suspensions skyrocketed from two in 2016-2017 to 72 in 2017-2018. The number of students suspended went from 37 in 2016-2017 to 88 in 2017-2018.
The Flat-Rock Hawcreek School Corp.’s annual performance report was published in The Republic’s March 14 and March 26 editions. The report is also available on the Indiana Department of Education’s website.
In addition to the suspension statistics, the number of students absent greater than 10 percent of the school year at Hauser Jr.-Sr. High School was reported to increase from 27 in 2016-2017 to 41 in 2017-2018.
Hauser principal David Wintin said the numbers are a result of a definition change in school reporting. Wintin said the state and federal guidelines require schools to report any exclusionary discipline — meaning any time a student is removed from a classroom setting.
Wintin said the corporation previously used the term “in-school study,” so when in-school suspensions were reported, it appeared to be fewer cases because in-school studies were not included in the suspension statistics.
He said the higher numbers are also likely be the school’s addition of prohibiting vaping in its handbook. Hauser administrators added vaping as being prohibited to its handbook with the same penalty for using tobacco on school grounds.
The handbook prohibits smoking and any use or possession at school, on school grounds and at school activities. This include cigars, cigarettes, electronic cigarettes, chewing tobacco, snuff, etc. Also included are possession and/or use of any vaping device and e-liquid.
“When kids were smoking, it was always easy because you could smell it and chase them down,” Wintin said. “In a rural area, we always have a few more issues with chewing tobacco but that’s still pretty obvious because at some point, the kid’s gotta spit.”
With the vaping, however, Wintin said many of the devices look like a jump drive or pen and typically lack odor.
He said it’s difficult to compete suspension numbers from one year to the next, especially in a school the size of Hauser, which had only 438 students enrolled in 2017-18.
“Five things for us is a major percentage change,” Wintin said. “When we come across violations, we deal with them and move on. It’s hard to say how much has changed. We’re just more aware of what we’re looking for.”
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To view Hauser Jr.-Sr. High School’s Annual Performance Report, visit compass.doe.in.gov/dashboard/apr.aspx?type=school&id=0410.
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