03/19/2024
Bladen County Schools
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Bladen County SchoolsAccording to the 2015-16 Consolidated Data Report compiled by the NC Department of Public Instruction, reportable crimes have decreased during the 2015-16 academic year. However, long-term suspensions have decreased while short-term suspensions have increased.

“Schools must be safe havens if we want our teachers to be effective and our students to excel academically,” State Board Chairman Bill Cobey said.

According to the report, both Clay and Bladen Counties were on the top ten lists of largest three year decreases in high school crime rates, short-term suspensions and drop out rates.

The State Board of Education has identified 16 criminal acts that are reported in this annual report. The nine dangerous and violent acts are:

• Homicide

• Assault resulting in serious bodily injury

• Assault involving the use of a weapon

• Rape

• Sexual offense

• Sexual assault

• Kidnapping

• Robbery with a dangerous weapon

  • Taking indecent liberties with a minor

The other seven acts included in this report are:

• Assault on school personnel

• Bomb threat

• Burning of a school building

• Possession of alcoholic beverage

• Possession of controlled substance in violation of law

• Possession of a firearm or powerful explosive

  • Possession of a weapon

Bladen County Schools had just 9 reportable offenses for grades 9-12 for the 2015-16 academic year. The report does not indicate what those offenses involved.

Bladen County Schools reported a total of 1,100 short-term suspensions and 6 long-term suspensions and no expulsions for grades 9-12 based on gender and race for the 2015-16 academic year.  The report also shows an average daily membership for Bladen County Schools in grades 9-12 as 1,430 and the number of short-term suspensions as 306 for a short-term suspension rate of 21.40 percent per 100 students. The report does not specify what types of infractions led to the reported suspensions.

The Paul R. Brown Leadership Academy had 9 short-term suspensions and no long-term suspensions and 1 expulsion. Columbus Charter School had 12 short-term suspensions and no long-term suspensions or expulsions for the 2015-16 academic year.

To read the complete report, click here.

According to the report, four school districts in the state —Clay, Jones, Polk and Washington— all had no reported acts at the high school level. Just 2,057 schools or 79 percent had five or fewer reported acts at the high school level.

The schools are required to report 16 types of offenses when they occur on their campuses. The most prevalent offenses involved dangerous or violent offenses as well as use of controlled substances and alcohol. Also reported were offenses involving weapons (excluding firearms and explosives) and assault on school personnel, according to the report.

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