Roxbury Preparatory Charter School, long known for strict discipline, has been ordered by the state to lower its suspension rates, an unusual move aimed at keeping more students in class.
The charter school has the second highest out-of-school suspension rate in the state, with 21.1 percent of students receiving that punishment during the last school year. That’s far higher than the state average of 2.9 percent.
State education officials are also troubled that Roxbury Prep appears to be subjecting some student groups to more discipline than others, according to a memo released last month. Nearly 38 percent of students with disabilities were suspended last year, almost a third of male students, and a quarter of economically disadvantaged students and those lacking English fluency