Students suspended 76 times just in 2023-24 school year in Helen Huffman Elementary School
In total, there were 98 disciplinary actions recorded during the school year, of which 76 were suspensions representing a rate of approximately 27.8 incidents per 100 of the school's enrolled students. There were an additional 22 cases of students being removed to alternative settings rather than being suspended or expelled.
There were 65 disciplinary incidents involving male students. Another 11 incidents involved female students.
All 76 suspensions issued in the Helen Huffman Elementary School schools involved elementary or middle school students.
Out-of-school suspensions most commonly were for incidents involving violence without physical injury, with 35 cases reported. Additionally, 37 cases were classified under the "other reason" category.
In terms of ethnicity, Black students, which made up 88.3% of the Helen Huffman Elementary School student body, were suspended the most in the school, with 68 suspensions reported during the 2023-24 school year. They were followed by multiracial students, who made up 7% of the student body, and received two suspensions.
Helen Huffman Elementary School is located in the Cahokia Community Unit School District 187, and has a main office in Cahokia.
Illinois allocated $8.6 billion to K-12 education in its 2025 budget—a $350 million increase over FY 2024, meeting the minimum required under the state’s school 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 | - | 3 |
| Violence without injury | - | 35 |
| Drug offenses | - | - |
| Firearm | - | - |
| Other dangerous weapons | - | 1 |
| Tobacco | - | - |
| Other reason | - | 37 |
| Total | 0 | 76 |
| Duration | In-School Suspension | Out-of-School Suspension |
|---|---|---|
| One day or less | - | - |
| 1-2 days | - | 26 |
| 2-3 days | - | 30 |
| 3-4 days | - | 12 |
| 4-10 days | - | 6 |
| More than 10 days | - | 2 |