Discipline Cases are Down at JHS

By Gary Scott on January 21, 2021 at 6:45am

The Jacksonville school board learned last night that discipline reports have fallen dramatically from a year ago at Jacksonville High School.

            First semester cases totaled 11-hundred at JHS in the first semester in 2019. That number was 88 in the first semester in 2020.

            Jacksonville school superintendent Steve Ptacek says discipline cases are a broad description.

             He says the discipline cases can be as simple as a tardy or unexcused absence.

            Ptacek credits a lot of the dramatic change to changes the high school had to put in place to keep students in school during the COVID pandemic.

               He says students need to come in quickly, and leave quickly, there is one direction flow, little time for lunch, and the masks cause a separation of students that may help prevent bullying issues.

            Ptacek says some of the changes could be implemented even when COVID goes away. He says maybe an expansion of the alternative school to move negative impact students there where they might learn better, and eliminate some bullying issues that prompted some of the disciplinary reports.

            The school board last night learned school improvement, or SIP days have been eliminated for the rest of the academic year, because time is needed for the COVID instruction plan.

            The school district education fund is running at about 46-percent of the amount budget more than halfway through the year. Ptacek says the school district is still expecting to spend down from cash reserves.

            Ptacek told the board remote learning in the district is running at its lowest level of the year…around 13-percent now.

            And, the board recognized Gavin Cox and Catherine Ott for making the 2020 Illinois All State Choir. The board also recognized a $1-thousand contribution from Murrayville Baptist Church, which raised funds for student and teacher supplies at the Murrayville Woodson Grade School.