Posted: Saturday, November 14, 2015 11:54 am | Updated: 11:59 am, Sat Nov 14, 2015.

Brett Boese, bboese@postbulletin.com

The Post-Bulletin recently obtained a copy of the OCR paperwork from Illinois, originally dated Sept. 9, that reveals the percentage of black students suspended is three times higher than their proportion in the student population.

For instance, black students totaled 12.5 percent of enrollment in the 2011-12 school year, but were subject to 34.9 percent of all district disciplines. Black students also represent nine of the district's 26 expulsions — 34.6 percent — since 2011.

As part of the agreement, the OCR will continue to monitor Rochester Public Schools for the next three school years.

Superintendent Michael Munoz says the discipline totals are a concern and will continue to be tracked, but he declined to say whether the figures would be made available publicly in subsequent years.

"We are concerned about all of our discipline and student behavior and how we handle it," Mu noz said. "Are we concerned about it? Yes, but we're concerned about all of our student behavior. Obviously, we want all of our students to behave well and be in school. We need them in the buildings to learn."

That statement did not sit well with Council for Minnesotans of African Heritage's Kolloh Nimley, a program specialist for the state organization's Rochester office. She was unaware of the discipline disparity and corresponding five-year compliance review until asked for comment Wednesday afternoon.

Nimley was critical of the district's lack of public disclosure on the long-standing issue, along with Munoz's big-picture comment to a race-specific issue.

"Those number here are not about all of our students, they're about black students," Nimley said. "He didn't answer the question. You don't beat around the bush. I know all about 'Minnesota Nice,' but face the issue. What are you doing about it?

"Let's put some urgency to this. We can't drag our feet."

The school district issued a press release Sept. 2 declaring that the "OCR carefully reviewed all available data and found no evidence of intentional discrimination or any wrongdoing by RPS."

The district's press release did not include any discipline data, and the district declined P-B requests for the OCR documents at that time, citing student data privacy.

The OCR's 15-page filing on Sept. 9 provided detailed breakdowns of the disparate impacts and included a summary statement that states: "Prior to the conclusion of OCR's investigation and compliance determinations under Title VI, and before OCR had evaluated whether, for example, the disparities in imposition in discipline were or were not legally justified, the District expressed interest in voluntarily resolving the review with an agreement. Accordingly, OCR is not making compliance determinations under Title VI."

Posted: Saturday, November 14, 2015 11:58 am | Updated: 7:40 pm, Sat Nov 14, 2015.

Brett Boese, bboese@postbulletin.com

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Community forums are tentatively planned for late 2015 or early 2016 to solicit feedback from parents and other stakeholders. Those dialogues are required by the OCR as a way to begin correcting the complicated issue, but Lewis says that race-related topics are frequently discussed at dialogue sessions.

Lewis says those meetings couldn't be scheduled until language in the new handbook was approved by OCR.

"These are pieces where we really need to enlist the input of families and the community," Lewis said.

But the discipline disparities aren't new issues with Rochester Public Schools.