School districts in the Border Belt saw drops in reported crimes last school year, according to a new report from the N.C. Department of Public Instruction.
The report, released in February, tracks 16 reportable acts, including assault with a weapon, possession of illegal substances, robbery, and sexual assault.
Statewide, schools reported an average of 7.4 crimes and violent acts per 1,000 students. Four local districts fell below that rate–Bladen County Schools, Columbus County Schools, Scotland County Schools and Whiteville City Schools.
Public Schools of Robeson County remained slightly above the statewide average with an incident rate of 7.8 per 1,000 students. The district reported 160 crimes last school year, including 93 incidents of possession of controlled substances, 30 incidents of possession of a weapon, and 20 incidents of assault on school personnel.
Possession of controlled substances, including marijuana, was the most commonly reported offense statewide, accounting for 62% of all incidents last school year.
“While every incident matters, the data show that severe violence is rare, and the most common challenges schools are managing are behavioral and substance related, not widespread physical harm,” Michael Maher, chief accountability officer for the N.C. Department of Public Instruction, said during a meeting last month.
The report also tracks school suspensions and expulsions, alternative learning, and dropout rates.
Robeson County schools had a suspension rate of 526.25 per 1,000 students, the fifth highest rate in the state and a slight increase from the previous school year. Male students in the district accounted for two-thirds of the suspensions. 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. The same was true the previous school year, BBI previously reported.
Whiteville City Schools increased its suspension rate by nearly 99 suspensions per 1,000 students.
Scotland County Schools saw the largest year-over-year decrease in the Border Belt, with 400 fewer students suspended last school year.
Dropout rates largely declined across the Border Belt and in some cases outpaced the statewide decline. Robeson County schools, which had the region’s highest dropout rate five years ago, recorded no dropouts last school year. Bladen and Columbus County districts also fell below the North Carolina average of 1.21 per 1,000 students.
Scotland County Schools and Whiteville City Schools both had zero dropouts in 2023-2024 but saw rates above the state average last school year.
Maher said the report points to both progress and unfinished work.
“This year’s report provides evidence of continued improvements in school safety across North Carolina’s public schools and points to areas for further study to strengthen our understanding of student support across the academic continuum,” he said.
The Columbus County Community Foundation awarded the Border Belt Independent a $5,000 grant to fund Data Point, a concise feature that focuses on numbers and statistics highlighting an issue or trend in the Border Belt. The Columbus County Community Foundation is a nonprofit that connects people with causes and organizations they care about. It is part of the North Carolina Community Foundation network.