Dupage Policy Journal

Downers Grove Grade School District 58 reported 233 suspensions during the 2023-24 school year, according to the Illinois Report Card.

In total, there were 233 disciplinary actions recorded during the school year, representing a rate of approximately 4.9 incidents per 100 of the district’s enrolled students.

Among in-school suspensions where a reason was specified, the most common cause was incidents involving violence without physical injury, with 43 recorded cases. There were also 18 incidents involving violence that caused physical injury. Additionally, 109 cases were classified under "other reason" or left unspecified.

Only male students were subject to disciplinary actions, a rate of approximately 5.9 incidents per 100 male students.

All 233 suspensions issued in the district involved elementary or middle school students.

Out-of-school suspensions most commonly were for incidents involving violence without physical injury, with 13 cases reported. Additionally, 27 cases were classified under the "other reason" category.

In terms of ethnicity, white students, who made up 74.5% of the Downers Grove Grade School District 58 student body, were suspended the most in the district, with 121 suspensions reported during the 2023-24 school year. They were followed by Hispanic students, who made up 11.7% of the student body, and received 46 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	18	10
Violence without injury	43	13
Drug offenses	5	4
Firearm	-	1
Other dangerous weapons	2	1
Tobacco	-	-
Other reason	109	27
Total	177	56

Duration	In-School Suspension	Out-of-School Suspension
One day or less	47	1
1-2 days	106	35
2-3 days	24	11
3-4 days	-	3
4-10 days	-	4
More than 10 days	-	2