Students suspended 19 times in 2023-24 school year in Howard B. Thomas Grade School
In total, there were 19 disciplinary actions recorded during the school year, representing a rate of approximately 3 incidents per 100 of the school's enrolled students.
The school reported that most in-school suspensions were given for incidents involving violence without physical injury, with five recorded cases. There was also one incident involving a dangerous weapon other than a firearm. Additionally, four cases were classified under "other reason" or left unspecified.
Only male students were subject to disciplinary actions, a rate of approximately 5.4 incidents per 100 male students.
All 19 suspensions issued in the Howard B. Thomas Grade School schools involved elementary or middle school students.
Out-of-school suspensions most commonly were for incidents involving violence without physical injury, with seven cases reported. Additionally, one case was classified under the "other reason" category.
In terms of ethnicity, white students, which made up 50.7% of the Howard B. Thomas Grade School student body, were suspended the most in the school, with 10 suspensions reported during the 2023-24 school year. They were followed by Black students, who made up 2.3% of the student body, and received four suspensions.
Howard B. Thomas Grade School is located in the Central Community Unit School District 301, and has a main office in Burlington.
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 | - | - |
| Violence without injury | 5 | 7 |
| Drug offenses | - | - |
| Firearm | - | - |
| Other dangerous weapons | 1 | 1 |
| Tobacco | - | - |
| Other reason | 4 | 1 |
| Total | 10 | 9 |
| Duration | In-School Suspension | Out-of-School Suspension |
|---|---|---|
| One day or less | 2 | 1 |
| 1-2 days | 8 | 2 |
| 2-3 days | - | 3 |
| 3-4 days | - | 2 |
| 4-10 days | - | 1 |
| More than 10 days | - | - |