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Table 14.  Number and percentage of public high schools reporting the use of any serious disciplinary action, and the percentage distribution of serious disciplinary actions used by schools, by selected offenses: School year 2005–06

  Schools using any serious disciplinary action1   Percentage distribution of serious disciplinary actions used by schools1 
Offense Number of schools Percent of schools Number of actions taken   Number of actions taken per 1,000 students     Removals with no continuing services for at least the remainder of the school year Transfers to specialized schools2 Out-of-school suspensions lasting 5 or more days but less than the remainder of the school year
Total offenses  9,900 84 377,200   31     6 23 71
                     
Use or possession of a firearm or explosive device3  1,200 10 5,900 ! 0 !   74
Use or possession of a weapon other than a firearm3,4  4,900 42 19,500   2     15 33 52
Distribution, possession, or use of illegal drugs  8,000 68 70,100   6     10 36 54
                     
Distribution, possession, or use of alcohol  5,100 43 21,700   2     5 19 76
Physical attacks or fights5  7,600 65 131,300   11     4 17 78
Insubordination6  4,800 41 128,700   11     21 74
! Interpret data with caution. The standard error for this estimate is from 30 percent to 50 percent of the estimate’s value.
‡ Reporting standards not met. The standard error for this estimate is equal to 50 percent or more of the estimate's value.
1 Serious disciplinary actions include removals with no continuing services for at least the remainder of the school year, transfers to specialized schools for disciplinary reasons, and out-of-school suspensions lasting 5 or more days, but less than the remainder of the school year.
2 Specialized school was defined for respondents as "a school that is specifically for students who were referred for disciplinary reasons, although the school may also have students who were referred for other reasons. The school may be
at the same location as your school."
3 Firearm or explosive device was defined for respondents as "any weapon that is designed to (or may readily be converted to) expel a projectile by the action of an explosive. This includes guns, bombs, grenades, mines, rockets, missiles, pipe bombs, or similar devices designed to explode and capable of causing bodily harm or property damage."
4 Weapon was defined for respondents as "any instrument or object used with the intent to threaten, injure, or kill. This includes look-alikes if they are used to threaten others."
5 Physical attack or fight was defined for respondents as "an actual and intentional touching or striking of another person against his or her will, or the intentional causing of bodily harm to an individual."
6 Insubordination was defined for respondents as "a deliberate and inexcusable defiance of or refusal to obey a school rule, authority, or a reasonable order. It includes, but is not limited to, direct defiance of school authority, failure to attend assigned detention or on-campus supervision, failure to respond to a call slip, and physical or verbal intimidation or abuse."
NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Responses were provided by the principal or the person most knowledgeable about crime and safety issues at the school. High schools are defined as schools in which the lowest grade is not lower than grade 9 and the highest grade is not higher than grade 12.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), 2005–06 School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS), 2006.