Oct 2003 :::
LT Community Advisory Council Minutes
October 15, 2003
At-Risk Students at LT and Programs to Support Them: Part I
I. Call to Order and Announcements
- Approval of Minutes of September 17, 2003 Meeting
- Report of Superintendent
- Report from School Board Member Al Polich
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The meeting was called to order at 7 PM. The minutes for September were approved unanimously.
Dr. Kelly reported that The Board will meet again this coming Monday to vote on the proposed 16.95 million bond issue for Facilities improvements for 12 of the 13 proposed upgrades (they dropped the Little Theater proposal for now). The plan is to do it in 2 packages, to get the best bids and value for their money.
He will attend the TIF meeting at Village Hall @ 7:30 PM Wednesday, regarding the proposed parking lot behind Village Hall. His opinion is that the Village should not use TIF money for construction. The downtown TIF started in 1986 when District 102 and LTHS were "flush" with money. Since that is not the case now, his request is that they return the last 3 years of TIF monies to the "taxiing bodies" (schools, library etc.)
Bad News…McCook Metals sold to CenterPoint Properties and an Industrial Park (3 million square feet) has been proposed. Unfortunately they are also considering a 23-year TIF rather than a shorter and less involved tax break. The "clean-up" of the site could cost 30 million. This would reduce school incomes significantly. District 103 could lose up to 27 million in income during the TIF period.
Principal Search…They have received 50 applications, and are targeting specific groups, like the winners of the "best principal" for each State. They hope to have 80-100 applications by Oct 31 st, which will be reduced to 8 candidates to interview. They hope to make the choice by Thanksgiving.
UPS issue… The school is targeting the Governor, legislators and Senators with a letter campaign to overturn the Governor’s veto. This could mean 524,000 in additional income per year. They hope to get letters from Mayors of each city/town to present to Senator Christine Radogno
Her website is at:
http://www.legis.state.il.us/Senate/Senator.asp?MemberID=754
Al says the Board has been consumed with the Facilities issue and that Dr. Kelly covered that well.
II. At-Risk Students at LT and Programs to Support Them
Defining who is At-Risk and Drop Outs
Programs and Services for At-Risk Students: (See attached page)
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- Students with Emotional and Psychological Problems ~ Bob Susin,
Social Worker - Mary Lee Lockwood, Division Chair for Student Support.
Bob has been at LT for 34 years. The psychological/emotional "problem" that leads to "at risk" are not problems in the child…it is the circumstances beyond their control that lead them to at risk:
Three reasons that we have troubled kids:
- Overwhelmed
- Isolated
- Undervalued
The things that trouble our youth are profound losses, death/divorce/serious illness of self or family member, acute or chronic anxiety, emotional/physical/sexual abuse, peer harassment and bullying, self-esteem/identity issues, runaway/suicide/eating disorders.
He follows classes through school. He gets referrals from teachers, counselors in earlier years, and from peers and self-referral in the upper classes. They interact with teachers and give them feedback.
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Students Abusing Drugs and Alcohol ~ Kris Blachinski, Student Assistance Program
Coordinator
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See the tri-fold handout. The Program addresses kids in 2 ways:
- Catch them under the influence, or in possession, or selling it, or
- They suspect it because of "red flag" activities. (See Handout)
If they are "caught", there is a specific policy of 10-day suspension (which can be reduced to 5 days if the offender joins a supervised substance-abuse program). Selling is the most severe, with 10 day suspension with recommendation to expel. They also call the police when there is possession. There were 20 infractions last year on the combined campuses.
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- Student Intervention Teams - Kris Blachinski
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For those who are suspected to be "under the influence", there is a student intervention team (see yellow sheet). The teacher submits a checklist of the red-flag behaviors, the team reviews the list, and they meet with the parent, and may recommend intervention. All of this is completely confidential and is not attached to the student file. There are 40-60 referrals per year. If the child is busted outside of school the policy is NOT in effect, but they may attempt an intervention. They note that there is resistance on the part of some parents (denial), and it can take several interventions before some of them "get it".
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Alternative Program - Ron Brija, Head of Alternative Program
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See the Blue Handout. Kids are referred to this program by social workers and counselors…it is not punishment or banishment. It’s an adjunct to school, not an alternative. It’s like "training wheels" (an external support) that can/should be outgrown. This program has 20-31 students yearly. They teach core curricula like English, physics, and history at the Corral (kids are shuttled in). They teach 18-20 courses at Prep level, and the program includes a 30-hour service component) The transition-out process involves an exit interview.
Support Services for Minority Students - Edgar Palacios, Hispanic Student Liaison
See the handout. They meet on Wednesdays, from 7-9 PM, at the South campus library. There are 4 teacher tutors. The program involves at least one hour of homework (a requirement for attendance) followed by one hour of games and/or computer access. Presently there are 56 enrolled students.
Small Group Discussion:
Reporting Back from Small Groups
Table 1: Interested in % of students at each level, how easy it is to move from level to level. Are teachers trained to spot "at-risk" kids? How?
Table 2: Wants to know more about the average/middle-of-the-road student.
Table 3: Wants to see feedback to division chairs about teacher issues (respect issues), and for teachers to learn more about how to identify different learning styles in their students. What are the entry and exit numbers for the different levels (how many turnovers). A student enquired about how to refer to the drug/alcohol program. Is tutoring available while on drug suspension?
Table 4: Wants to look at tenure process, and more information on the new personnel director. What training do teachers get for the peaceable schools initiative?
Table 5: What can be done for students who are isolated (gays), and more information on bullying at S. campus. They feel that there’s too much homework. How many students are IEP’d to classes? How to reduce the stress load on students by eliminating unnecessary things.
- Adjournment
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The groups reviewed the presented materials with the intention of deciding what information to focus on in the November meeting.
Interested in % of students at each level, how easy it is to move from level to level. Are teachers trained to spot "at-risk" kids? How?
Wants to know more about the average/middle-of-the-road student.
Wants to see feedback to division chairs about teacher issues (respect issues), and for teachers to learn more about how to identify different learning styles in their students. What are the entry and exit numbers for the different levels (how many turnovers). A student enquired about how to refer to the drug/alcohol program. Is tutoring available while on drug suspension?
Wants to look at tenure process, and more information on the new personnel director. What training do teachers get for the peaceable schools initiative?
What can be done for students who are isolated (gays), and more information on bullying at S. campus. They feel that there’s too much homework. How many students are IEP’d to classes? How to reduce the stress load on students by eliminating unnecessary things.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:15 PM.