SB100 is now Illinois law as of last week.
The legislation mandates changes in school districts discipline policies, jettisoning “zero-discipline policies” and requires a set of behavioral interventions before a student is suspended.
Superintendent Ed Fletcher says this won’t mean a lot of changes in policy at Monmouth-Roseville District 238.
He says they’ve been dealing with student discipline on a more case-to-case basis in his five years on the job.
That doesn’t mean he doesn’t understand the need for the law.
He tells WGIL every district and every community is different, comparing how different a climate Monmouth-Roseville schools have compared to those while heavy gang influence.
“I think there are certain situations that put school districts in very, very tough positions and I would understand if sometimes you would go to the extreme just to keep the calm in a school district,” Fletcher says.
Knoxville Superintendent Steve Wilder describes the changes as giving students more “due process” and ensures schools are doing their best to give students “opportunities to make good decisions.”
The downside is additional documentation.
He says effective informal procedures Knoxville was using for handling discipline now have been formalized.
That means drawing away time administrators and teachers that could be spent doing other things.
