Rocky View Schools is seeing some encouraging signs in its work to keep schools safe, supportive and focused on learning.
During the 2025/26 school year, the division reported that 35 per cent of student suspensions involved students who had previously been suspended. Looked at another way, about 65 per cent of suspended students were not suspended more than once.
For RVS Associate Superintendent of Schools Jeff Smith, that matters.
Smith told trustees the number of repeat suspensions has decreased from previous years, suggesting the division’s work with students after a suspension may be starting to make a difference. Those supports include structured re-entry plans and restorative practices meant to help students return to school with clearer expectations and a better chance of success.
The numbers also show where the pressure points remain.
RVS reported 518 days of in-school suspension and 2,169 days of out-of-school suspension during the school year. About one-third of all suspensions were connected to physical altercations or fighting, making that one of the main areas of continued focus for school staff.
Smith said the causes behind suspensions can vary by age group. In high schools, vaping is believed to be one of the more common reasons for repeat suspensions. In middle schools, physical conflict remains more common, with some students still trying to settle disagreements with their hands instead of their words.
That distinction is important for parents and school communities. A single suspension number does not tell the whole story. A Grade 7 hallway fight, a high school vaping incident and dangerous behaviour in a classroom may all lead to discipline, but each requires a different response.
RVS has also changed how it tracks some behaviour categories over the past few years. Smith noted that some issues, including disruptive or dangerous behaviour and fighting, were not always tracked in the same way in earlier reports. That makes year-to-year comparisons useful, but not perfect.
Trustees also discussed student behaviour on buses. Ward 5 Trustee Susan Flowers, who said she had worked as a bus driver, noted that bus-related problems remain low compared with other categories. Smith explained that under the Education Act, principals can suspend a student from riding the bus for up to five days. Many bus incidents are still managed first by drivers, depending on the nature of the behaviour.
The report also touched on weapons-related incidents, a category that can sound alarming without context. Smith said police may be called when needed, including through school resource officers in communities where they are available. However, he added that possession of a weapon at school does not always mean it was used or threatened. In some cases, a student may have brought an item to school to show someone, or forgotten it was in a pocket or bag.
That does not make the issue minor. It does mean the circumstances matter.
Expulsions remained rare across the division. RVS reported one expulsion during the school year. With a school system serving nearly 30,000 students, Smith said that figure speaks to the work being done in schools before matters reach that level.
For Chestermere families, the report offers a mixed but useful picture. Schools are still dealing with fights, vaping, disruptive behaviour and the everyday strain that comes with growing communities and busy classrooms. But the decline in repeat suspensions suggests that follow-up matters.
A suspension may remove a student from class for a time. The harder work starts when that student comes back through the school doors.