BSD reports 529 suspensions in 2025-26
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The Brandon School Division (BSD) recorded 529 student suspensions during the 2025-26 school year.
For the full school year, the suspensions involved 346 students. Of the suspensions, 439 were out-of-school, and 90 were in-school.
Supt. Jon Zilkey, who presented the suspension report during the board’s general meeting last Monday, said 271 suspensions were recorded during the second semester involving 206 students.
“Of the second-semester suspensions, 144 involved elementary students while 127 involved senior-years students,” he told the board.
Zilkey said the figures were similar to those recorded the previous year, when the division reported 450 out-of-school suspensions and 101 in-school suspensions.
He cautioned trustees against comparing the latest figures with suspension numbers from three years ago because of changes in how suspensions are reported.
“Three years ago, I would not compare those numbers because with the provincial asking for suspension reports, the whole reporting structure has changed,” Zilkey said.
The report includes breakdowns of suspensions by category and number of days in its appendices.
Zilkey also provided trustees with additional information on suspensions involving violence against staff, following a request from trustee Kirk Carr in June.
Out of the 529 suspensions recorded during the school year, 18 were related to assaults on staff members. Six involved assaults on administrators, four involved teaching staff and eight involved support staff, he said.
Those 18 suspensions represented about 3.4 per cent of all suspensions recorded during the school year.
Zilkey said that the figure should not be interpreted as minimizing incidents involving staff.
“I’m not minimizing those 18, but it’s a small amount in terms of the actual violence to the staff members,” he said. “And again, one is too many. I’m not saying that by any means, but I just wanted to point out there was 18 of the 529.”
The superintendent said the suspension report was intended to provide trustees with an overview of suspension activity during the past school year.
Senior administration recommended that the report be received and filed.
Trustees Jim Murray and Breeanna Sieklicki moved and seconded the motion, respectively, and the report was approved.
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