The Duluth school district is working with the state human rights department to address its discipline disparities.

The Minnesota Department of Human Rights announced last month that students of color were disciplined disproportionately throughout the state, following an analysis of 2015-16 suspension and expulsion data. The department said it would work with 43 districts and charter schools in particular on developing corrective action plans.

Duluth assistant superintendent Amy Starzecki confirmed Monday that Duluth was among them. She is expected to update School Board members Tuesday.

The district is looking at its discipline data and past work done on suspension reductions and will work with principals and teachers on what's needed, she said, for a plan to be firmed up yet this spring. She sees it as more of an agreement on next steps than corrective action.

"We very much want to engage in this process and learn from other districts," Starzecki said.

The plan will probably include staff development and training on how to respond to the many kinds of trauma students deal with, and gaining understanding of various cultures - all things the district has done in the past, sporadically.

"All of us need to be on the same page," Starzecki said, to ensure kids are in class, learning. "This is contributing to our achievement gap ... and we want to improve outcomes for our students."

Among Duluth students, the most obvious disparities are seen with black, special education and Native American students, and those who receive free and reduced-price lunch, a poverty indicator.

According to 2016-17 district data, black students accounted for 33 percent of the total number of days students were suspended but make up only 6 percent of enrollment. (With the state adding the category of two or more races to its demographic choices, the district's percentage of black students has dropped.)

Students with disabilities make up about 18 percent of the student body, but accounted for 53 percent of suspension days, while Native American students had 15 percent of them but account for about 4 percent of enrollment.

That same data shows that the overall number of days Duluth kids were suspended out of school has gone up for two consecutive years, following a few years of decline.

The 1,612 suspension days in 2016-17 - which is not individual suspensions but numbers of school days missed because of them - illustrate a 20 percent increase from the prior year.

Starzecki said the district hasn't been "as intentional" about overseeing that work because of other efforts aimed at supporting students. That happened in part because of the number of new principals and district-level leaders working in Duluth schools.

"We need to revisit that work," she said, noting she will advocate for it to become part of the state-mandated World's Best Workforce plan - which is about ensuring student progress - so it will be monitored.

The human rights department has not yet released its list of schools and districts. Commissioner Kevin Lindsey would not confirm Duluth was among them, but said the 43 were chosen because of disparities found in at least one of the following groups: students of color, Native American students and students with disabilities.

The News Tribune's own analysis in 2016 found similar disparities.

Lindsey said the department is looking for plans that ensure training, engagement with the affected communities and a "commitment to fine tune" the plan under significant disparities.

The department found that statewide, students of color make up 31 percent of the student population, but received 66 percent of suspensions and expulsions over a five-year period. It also found that 55 percent of all suspensions - excluding fighting, illegal drugs or weapon possession - were the result of a subjective judgment made by school officials.

According to state data, the highest number of suspensions in Duluth during both the 2015-16 and 2016-17 school years came from disorderly conduct - that subjective category. Assaults and fighting came in second and third.

Districts and charters that don't cooperate with the human rights department could face administrative charges that could end with a determination of discrimination.