LAND O'LAKES — Black students are twice as likely as their classmates to be suspended from Pasco County schools, and officials said Tuesday the district is using a new data system to pinpoint the problem and aggressively attack it.
The rate is worse for black students with disabilities, who were suspended or expelled at nearly 3.5 times the rate of other students in special programs, according to the most recent available data.
Any worse and the district could face state intervention.
"We're going to address it," superintendent Kurt Browning told the School Board after an hourlong presentation. "We need to get away from that 3.5. We need to back away from it with haste."
The report came as nearby districts, including Hillsborough and Pinellas, grapple with complaints of disproportionate disciplinary actions against minority children. The issue has gained prominence nationally, as well, as communities focus efforts on getting more black males to graduate from high school.
Specialists from the Pasco district's student services department said the discipline data in the past had been collected in a way that made it difficult to act in a timely fashion. A newly installed computer information system has given staff access to more details on a regular basis.
They began looking more in depth about a year ago, while exploring ways to improve the poor attendance rates at several campuses.
Now, school leaders can examine their discipline trends down to the classroom level and adjust how they deal with behavioral matters. The district is testing ways to reduce disparities and suspension rates overall, as well as train principals on how to consistently apply a revamped code of conduct.
"This is our problem," student services specialist Michael Bailey said. "We're going to own it, and we're going to manage it."
One thing is certain, specialist Jenna Sage added: The district wants to meet student and family needs and not cast them aside. Suspension and expulsion don't get to the root of the problem, she said.
"What are things we can do to keep kids on campus and engage them?" Sage said. "If they are not at school, they are not learning. … Even if it is a consequence, we want them to be there."
School Board members called the information "difficult" and pledged to support efforts to reduce suspensions and to handle discipline more evenly.
Vice chairwoman Joanne Hurley called for more inclusion of all students, starting in the earliest years. "If we started with inclusionary practices in our lower grades, a lot of this would go away," Hurley said.
The district recently started an inclusion pilot project at six schools in which students with and without disabilities learn together.
Board member Cynthia Armstrong, meanwhile, asked the staff to look at discipline numbers for other groups of children, including information about where they fall along socioeconomic lines.
"I would think you are going to see the same impact there," Armstrong said.
Bailey agreed the differences would likely be evident. However, he added, the biggest disparities appear to be among the races.
Browning told the board that Tuesday's workshop marked the beginning of a conversation.
"This is not the last time you are going to hear about this. It's an important enough topic. It has impacts on every student we serve," he said. "It's nothing we can run from."
Contact Jeffrey S. Solochek at jsolochek@tampabay.com or (813) 909-4614.