About the Indicator:

School disciplinary incidents involving illegal drugs were obtained by school district, then aggregated to the county level.  Percentages are found by totaling each county's illegal drug-related incidents and dividing them by the total amount of disciplinary incidents for that county. Each incident is counted only once; if multiple reasons per incident were reported, only the most serious reason is counted.

This incident type is used for controlled substances that do not fit under the prescription drug (controlled substance) incident type. An illegal drug is defined under IDEA 2004 as a controlled substance that is not “a substance that is legally possessed or used under the supervision of a licensed health-care professional or that is legally possessed or used under any other authority under [IDEA] or under any other provision of federal law.” 20 U.S.C. § 1415(k)(7)(B). The drug must be on one of the five schedules of controlled substances listed in state statute. This incident type specifically excludes alcohol, tobacco, and prescription drugs belonging to the student offender. This incident type includes the possession/use and solicitation/sale of an illegal drug.

Controlled Substance definition: https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/?id=152.01

Controlled Substance Schedules: https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/?id=152.02

 

Data Source: Minnesota Department of Education Data Center

Description: The Minnesota Department of Education's Data Center provides reports and data on students, schools, districts, teachers, and education-related organizations.

Sponsored by: MN Department of Education

Geographic Level: School district, County, State, Region

Frequency: Data collected and reported annually

Characteristics:  Each year districts report all disciplinary incidents that result in an out-of-school suspension/removal of one day or longer and expulsions/exclusions.