News Release
Homer CCSD 33C
Goodings Grove Luther J. Schilling William E. Young William J. Butler
Hadley Middle Homer Jr. High
Contact: Charla Brautigam, Communications/Public Relations Manager
cbrautigam@homerschools.org | 708-226-7628
For Immediate Release:
June 6, 2016
Homer 33C sees decline in disciplinary infractions
Discipline issues are on the decline in Homer School District 33C.
Since 2013, the number of behavior detentions at Homer Junior High and Hadley Middle School has dropped from 463 to 285 (with only a few days of school left in the 2015-16 academic year).
Saturday detentions have dropped from 41 to 31 while internal and external suspensions have dropped from 148 to 36.
Administrators attribute the decline to changes in the district’s Code of Conduct.
“We have done a lot of work to empower student success,” said Meagan Doornbos, Dean of Students at Homer Junior High.
Instead of waiting for problems to ignite, for example, schools are encouraging students to become problem-solvers and respect individual differences while considering all perspectives.
“In today’s global world, we need to learn how to interact with each other and act with integrity at all times,” said Jeanine Arundel, Dean of Students at Hadley Middle School.
The changes comply with Senate Bill 100, a legislative decision calling for school districts across the state to diminish the amount of time students are out of school.
Legislators were motivated by research that shows suspensions and expulsions have an impact on how students perform later in life. They have asked school districts to do away with progressive discipline policies and zero-tolerance policies — except for cases of weapon and drug violations.
Homer 33C has made the required changes. It did so after forming a Parent-Teacher Advisory Committee (PTAC) to review all policy guidelines and update all codes of conduct and disciplinary paperwork to reflect restorative measures.
The committee of 24 parents, teachers and administrators also updated the student handbook language for all buildings, created a consistent set of expectations for all PreK-4 buildings and updated the district’s dress code requirements to reflect current trends.
“We all have the same vision,” said Doornbos.
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