The District 205 school board decided last night to make an amendment to their list of proposed cuts in light of an amendment to the Illinois school code that will take effect next year.
In-school suspension supervisors from both middle schools and the high school were among the 72 positions that the board would consider eliminating at their Feb. 8 meeting.
Further consideration of how Illinois Senate Bill 100 would force a change in disciplinary policy for the district led to the board reconsidering the need for ISS supervisors.
SB 100 amends the disciplinary school code so that “out-of-school suspensions of longer than three days and expulsions…may be used only if other appropriate and available behavioral and disciplinary interventions have been exhausted” or there’s a threat to school safety.
Superintendent Ralph Grimm tells WGIL keeping the three ISS supervisors will create some stability while district policy changes are being implemented.
“We’re going to be asked to do more things on the front end to deal with behavior as opposed to getting to an out of school suspension or a recommendation for expulsion as soon as we maybe have in the past,” Grimm said.
The board also went into closed session to float names of candidates to approach about the replacing resigning member, Rick Welty.
Grimm reminded members they have the option of soliciting resumes and conducting interviews.
Member Statham suggested coming up a list of names up to the Feb. 8th meeting and then taking resumes if a clear choice hadn’t emerged, but that would leave only two weeks before their deadline.
