Kingsport City Schools suspension rates are nearly double the state average

KINGSPORT, Tenn. (WJHJL) — Tennessee’s state report card reveals that Kingsport City Schools issues in-school and out-of-school suspensions (ISS and OSS) at nearly double the state average.

In 2023 the district’s ISS rate was 9.8% compared to the state average 5.1%. OSS rates were 8.6% compared to the state’s 4.4% average. Bristol City Schools came the closest to Kingsport’s suspension rates with 9.1% for ISS and 5.1 % for OSS.

KCS Chief Student Services Officer Jim Nash told News Channel 11 that the district’s main goal with discipline is to apply the rules evenly from case to case.

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When asked whether it was important for the district to maintain a suspension rate at or below the state average, Nash again emphasized the goal of consistency.

“Sometimes that means we may be below or above the state average,” Nash said.

With a 2.4% ISS rate and 1.7% OSS, Greeneville City Schools reported the lowest suspension rates of any city school system in our area.

Director of Schools Steve Starnes told News Channel 11 that the district has made an effort in the last two years to replace suspension with alternative discipline like extended school days or shorter term placements at the district’s alternative school before resorting to a traditional suspension.

“We firmly believe that students need to be in school to minimize learning loss as much as possible,” Starnes said. “That’s our overarching goal.”

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Starnes said the district’s philosophy of discipline involves intervening as early as possible.

“Being able to start that in the elementary schools and work up through that, a student is used to knowing that their behavior will be addressed, but also trying to be proactive as much as possible,” Starnes said. “If we work with students who may have behavior issues or self-control issues, we try to give them the tools and equip those students to make better choices.”

KCS’s Nash noted that though consistency is a primary objective, the district works to intervene proactively.

“A lot of the work that we do with our counselors, our admin and our teachers is really working to work with students with social emotional learning, with relationship with other services so that they can effectively handle tough situations and make good decisions,” Nash said.

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