By Ben Rappaport
School districts across the Border Belt saw increases in crime and suspension rates in the 2023-2024 school year, although statewide figures declined, according to a report from the N.C. Department of Public Instruction.
North Carolina public schools saw a 7.7% drop in reported acts of crime and violence last school year compared to the prior year. But that wasn’t the case in Bladen, Columbus, Robeson and Scotland counties. The number of crimes and violent acts in Bladen County Schools doubled last school year compared to the prior year from, 18 to 36. Scotland County Schools and Whiteville City Schools both saw more than 20% jump.
Statewide, schools reported 8.77 acts of crime or violence per 1,000 students in 2023-2024. Three districts in the Border Belt — Bladen County Schools, Public Schools of Robeson County and Scotland County Schools — each had at least 9.5 per 1,000 students.
The year-over-year crime rate per 1,000 students increased in all five districts in the Border Belt.
Violent acts and crimes include assaults resulting in serious injury, assaults with weapons, bomb threats, and possession of alcohol. The most common offense in local districts and statewide was possession of controlled substances.
Robeson County schools had the highest rate of violent acts and crimes in the Border Belt, with 11.8 per 1,000 students. Most of the offenses—167— were for possession of controlled substances.
In the Border Belt and across the state, instances of assault on school personnel and bomb threats/hoaxes increased. Every other reportable act of crime decreased or remained consistent between 2022-23 and 2023-24.
“I’m optimistic that reductions in the rate of crime, violence and dropouts in high school reflect positive change,” State Superintendent Maurice Green said in a press release earlier this month.
Despite the statewide decrease in violent acts and crimes, there’s been a 27.8% increase since the 2018-2019 school year, before the COVID-19 pandemic.
“When looking at the data long term, it’s important to remember that the COVID-19 pandemic changed the landscape of schools,” Michael Maher, chief accountability officer for the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, said in a press release. “While crime and violence in schools is never what we want, it is promising to see that rates have dropped this year.”
Suspensions
Most school districts in the Border Belt saw increased suspensions per 1,000 students between the 2022-2023and 2023-2024 school years. All districts far exceeded pre-pandemic suspension rates.
Columbus County Schools had 135.9 suspensions per 1,000 students in the 2018-2019 school year. Last year’s suspension rate was more than double, 293.6.
Short-term suspensions and expulsions declined from the previous year across the state during the 2023-2024 school year. In the Border Belt, however, suspensions increased and were among the highest in the state. Public Schools of Robeson County and Scotland County Schools were in the top 10 districts for short-term suspension rates.
Robeson County schools had a total suspension rate of 471.7 per 1,000 students, nearly three times the statewide rate and up from 452.2 in the 2022-2023 school year. Male students in the district accounted for two-thirds of the suspensions last school year. Black and Native American males were most likely to be suspended, with each group responsible for about a quarter of the total suspensions in the district.
Statewide, there was a large racial disparity in suspension figures, with Black students accounting for nearly 50% more suspensions than white students, despite making up just 25% of the public school student body.
“There is still much work to be done to address the race, gender and disability disparities,” Green said. “I look forward to working with others to address these rates in the years to come.”
