GCS ranks as the safest large district in the state State report includes data about school crime , suspensions , expulsions , and dropouts
A report released by the State Board of Education and N . C . Department of Public Instruction indicates that Gaston County Schools ranks as the safest large school district in North Carolina .
Of the ten largest school districts in the state , Gaston County has the lowest school crime rate . Gaston ’ s rate for the 2014-2015 school year is 4.073 , which is lower than the 2013-2014 rate of 4.723 .
Gaston ’ s rate of 4.073 is lower than the state rate of 6.89 . The state saw an increase in its overall school crime rate , rising from 6.79 in 2013-2014 to 6.89 for 2014-2015 . The rate is based on the number of acts of school crime per 1,000 students .
Gaston County Schools continues to earn recognition as a safe school district . The school crime rate for Gaston County Schools has been significantly lower than the state rate for the past six years , and when compared to neighboring school districts , Gaston has the lowest rate .
Superintendent of Schools W . Jeffrey Booker stated , “ Year after year , we see the benefits of our comprehensive security plan and continued focus on school safety . Keeping our students and employees safe is a top priority because we know that for quality teaching and learning to take place , the school environment must be safe and secure .”
Booker attributed Gaston ’ s low school crime rate to the district ’ s ongoing partnership with law enforcement , investment in security equipment and safety initiatives , and school employees always keeping safety in mind .
“ All of our school employees go beyond expectations every day to ensure safety ,” said Booker . “ Our investment in camera surveillance equipment , visitor check-in management system , buzz-in entrance technology , more school resource officers , and other important measures are working to keep our school campuses safe and secure . Most significant is our excellent partnership with law enforcement in Gaston County – we would not have an outstanding school safety record without the support and commitment from the Gaston County Police Department , sheriff ’ s office , city police departments , and other agencies .”
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The state ’ s 2014-2015 Consolidated Data Report released Thursday , March 3 provides statistics about school crime and violence for the 2014- 2015 academic year . It also includes information about suspensions and expulsions for public school districts and charter schools across the state and the high school dropout rate . The full report is available online at www . ncpublicschools . org .
• Suspensions and Expulsions
Gaston County Schools had 6,375 short-term suspensions in 2014-2015 . The district had nine long-term suspensions , but no student expulsions . Over a six-year period , the number of short-term and long-term suspensions and student expulsions in Gaston County Schools is lower . Statewide , there was an increase in the number of short-term suspensions and expulsions for 2014-2015 .
• High School Dropout Rate Gaston County Schools ’ dropout rate remains low , and it is better than the state average for the third consecutive year . Gaston ’ s dropout rate for the 2014-2015 school year is 2.02 , which is lower than the state rate of 2.39 . Additionally , Gaston County is one of five school districts in the state with the largest three-year decrease in the dropout count ( number of students who dropped out of school ) for grades 9-13 .
The state calculates a high school dropout rate for each school district to reflect the number of students who dropped out of school during the 2014- 2015 year . A dropout is defined as a student who attended any part or all of the 2014-2015 school year and did not return to school for the 2015-2016 year . The number of high school dropouts in Gaston County has decreased significantly from 450 in 2010-2011 to 204 in 2014-2015 .
Gaston County Schools has maintained a dropout rate that is lower than the state average for the past three years while the district ’ s graduation rate continues to increase . Gaston ’ s graduation rate is 86.3 percent , which is the highest ever for the school district .
The following charts provide comparison information about the Gaston County Schools acts of crime , short-term and long-term suspensions , and expulsions for the past six school years and the dropout rate for the past nine years . Chart I shows the school crime rates . Chart II provides the number of student suspensions and expulsions . Chart III includes the dropout rates for Gaston County and North Carolina .
Chart I – Six-Year Comparison of Acts of Crime – Grades K-12 2014-2015 – Gaston County Schools – 4.073 State school crime rate : 6.89
2013-2014 – Gaston County Schools – 4.723 State school crime rate : 6.79
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2012-2013 – Gaston County Schools – 3.519 State school crime rate : 7.20
2011-2012 – Gaston County Schools – 3.81 State school crime rate : 7.63
2010-2011 – Gaston County Schools – 4.11 State school crime rate : 8.03
2009-2010 – Gaston County Schools – 5.07 State school crime rate : 7.97 * The school crime rate for Gaston County Schools has been significantly lower than the state rate for the past six years .
4 • May / June 2016 • Parent Teacher News