This year, when we examined the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools' suspension rate, we found that more than 450 students had been suspended at least 10 times. We started our analysis with a Microsoft Access database that listed 52,600 suspensions in a district of 114,000 students. For a follow-up story, we requested from the district more complete data. This revised database allowed us to give interested parents and others a way to look at schools and compare them to others.
We felt the more accurate picture on race was provided by using the total individuals suspended rather than total suspensions. We made clear the distinction. Overall, CMS suspended 8 percent of its white students and 30 percent of its black students, disparities that exist nationally, but are not easily explained. This complex issue touches on several factors, including racism, cultural misunderstanding by teachers and poverty.
In Charlotte's home county, black school-age children were four times more likely to live in poverty than white children. After the series ran, the CMS board called for a review of discipline practices to stop the surging suspensions.