Between Aug. 12 and Dec. 13, Marion County Public Schools expelled 119 students and alternatively placed 168.
The district averaged over one expulsion and two alternative placements per day across the first 80 days of school.
The Marion County School Board reviewed these data at its Jan. 28 meeting. The numbers were part of a new student discipline report, detailing some of the infractions leading to these punishments and the grade level of expelled and alternatively placed students.
“That’s kind of a wild number,” said Michelle Zglinicki-Booth, whose son attends Maplewood Elementary School in Ocala.
To Zglinicki-Booth, a former Marion County Public Schools student herself, these issues go beyond student behavior. She recalled her sister, who had learning disabilities, being told by administrators that she’d never succeed in life. Years later, Zglinicki-Booth’s autistic son was berated by a staff member for having a meltdown during a routine fire drill. She fears expelled or alternatively placed students gave up on school due to lack of support, she said.
“They’re blaming the parents. They’re blaming the kids. Y’all should look within,” Zglinicki-Booth said.
Earlier in January, the school board met to discuss its expulsion policies and procedures. They changed the language around expulsion to specify two types: on-campus alternative learning, which takes place at Marion Technical Institute in Ocala, and off-campus virtual alternative learning.
However, some questions about expulsion were left unanswered.
One of these concerned off-campus expulsion for elementary students. While this punishment would result in virtual learning for older students, the board explained that there is not yet a system in place for younger students.
Sarah James, a board member since 2022, recognized the drawbacks to removing an elementary student from campus. However, she emphasized that it is sometimes unavoidable.
“There was a case in the last two years where I think a second grader shot his teacher in the United States,” said James. “So yes, absolutely there are instances in which K through five students should not be in face-to-face learning based on their actions.”
A virtual learning plan needs to be decided by the schools and superintendent for these instances, she said.
The board also discussed how punishments for certain consequences are not always the same. In the district’s Code of Student Conduct, consequences, including recommendations for expulsion, for certain incidents are up to the discretion of the principal.
James expressed her uneasiness with this issue after the board was unable to come to a clear solution at the meeting.
“We’re putting ourselves in a position where we are giving consequences to some and not to others based on our implicit bias,” she said.
Allison Campbell, a school board member, agreed with these ideas, emphasizing that each individual offense is taken seriously. She added that the board is working to make expulsion decisions as objective as possible, but eliminating all bias remains a challenge.
“There are times I believe some individuals choose harsher punishments than others as the tolerance levels for some behaviors are different among leaders,” Campbell said.
By 2026, the board aims to create a safe and positive learning and working environment in schools through a strategic action plan. This plan includes reducing the number of expulsions and increasing the percentage of students feeling safe at school, among other outcome metrics.
The plan outlines that the target percentage of students that feel safe at school is 90%. The baseline percentage is listed at 58.3%.
“That’s absolutely sad,” said Beth Lee Cates, a parent to students at Belleview High School in Belleview and East Marion Elementary School in Silver Springs. “It’s kind of devastating to think about actually.”
Cates explained that her 15-year-old son has seen his share of issues with student behavior, especially fighting. She argued that threatening behavior can sometimes begin at home.
“Things are happening to them that’s out of their control and they lash out the only way that they know how — by being aggressive or mean to pretty much anybody who challenges them,” Cates said.
The Florida Department of Education currently tracks crime, violence and disruptive behavior in school environments through its School Environmental Safety Incident Reporting System. During the 2023-24 school year, Marion County reported its highest number of incidents in five years, with fights accounting for a significant number of these incidents.
Cates said her son has been involved in fights and has had to defend himself from other students. In one of these fights, her son was given a 10-day suspension without being heard out by the school, she said. Cates was forced to plead her son’s case before the school would listen to his claim of self-defense. Administration ultimately found that he was telling the truth and lessened his suspension.
“I always ask my child what happened because he knows better than to lie to me,” Cates said. “I don’t allow him to be railroaded by administration.”
Cates believes that if she hadn’t stuck up for her son, the school would have suspended him without knowing the full story, she said. She fears that other students may face harsh punishment if they don’t have anybody to defend them, she said.
“I think they only did it because I was there,” Cates said. “You can’t ignore me when I’m sitting right in front of you demanding that you do what you need to.”
While many issues surrounding expulsion remain unsolved, the board is actively working to improve student safety. Initiatives to create school-wide behavior plans, build the coaching capacity of deans, further engage families to support student achievement and improve mental health reasoruces have all already been implemented through the board’s strategic action plan. The board and schools are continuing to monitor the success of these initiatives and see how they progress throughout the year.