In a nearly 2.5-hour meeting Monday night, Macomb Community Unit School District No. 185's Board of Education discussed a number of issues, ranging from behavioral issues on buses and in the classroom to chronic absenteeism at the elementary level and the proposed Career Technical Education Center (see separate story).
Before discussions and actions on Board business got underway, Valentina Perez Araya was recognized as October Student of the Month, sponsored by MidAmerica National Bank. Araya is a member of the Bomber Girls Soccer team, the Ecology Club (treasurer), Spanish Club ([resident) and Interact Club. She helps English as a Second Language (ESL) students with English and math, and shares her ESL story to help students see what is possible. A University of Illinois Salute to Academic Achievement recipient, Araya plans to study pre-med and major in neuroscience, biomedical engineering or neuro-engineering in college. After college, she plans to attend medical school and match into oncology.
Behavior & Discipline
'The issue is much larger than transportation,' said Superintendent Mark Twomey, kicking off the discussion. 'We've had this discussion among the leadership team, and we're planning to have an in-depth discussion at our next in-service to talk about the behaviors, discipline and strategies. Over the course of the last five or six years, we've been required to remove the tools that we had related to discipline because of state laws. But on the flip side of that, we're at a place now where we have to take our schools back and address things differently. I don't know what this looks like yet, but we'll be discussing this and getting teachers' input.'
Twomey also noted that post-COVID, school officials are witnessing parents, who, regardless of the issue, blame the school. Board member Kristin Terry brought up a recent letter from a bus driver regarding behavior on the buses that put the drivers' safety – and job – in jeopardy, with no consequences from the students who are disruptive and acting out.
'Some of the behavior I've heard about it insane, and it's unreal that parents allow this,' she added.
Twomey again reiterated that disciplinary measures aren't as easy as 'one, two, three' due to a variety of factors. He agreed that there needs to be more consequences in place, particularly when teachers and administrators may be more hesitant about disciplinary measures because of parents' negative reactions to their student's behavior being corrected.
'That said, we have a firm commitment to addressing these behavioral and disciplinary issues,' he added.
Addressing Chronic Absenteeism: Lincoln School's Initiatives Lincoln School Principal Eric Bryant shared his school's strategies for combatting chronic absenteeism in his school, which has dramatically increased since 2020 (post-COVID). As a result, the Macomb elementary school that serves kindergarten through second grade has landed on Illinois' report card for chronic absenteeism. However, Bryant and his staff have put numerous measures into place to decrease the number so their students can achieve academic success.
'In Illinois, students who miss 10 percent or more of school days, roughly two days a month for whatever reason, are considered chronically absent,' he explained during his presentation at Monday's meeting.
In 2020, Lincoln's absentee rate was 7.5 percent. Four years later, that number had jumped to 27.4 percent, with a targeted subgroup at 44.6 percent, he shared. The excuses vary regarding the students' absences, from parents not getting their students to school (even those with legitimate excuses such as an illness are counted against the school's attendance); to dismissing the experience as 'just kindergarten' and not recognizing the importance of lower grades; bad weather, and no real consequences as attendance laws don't typically focus on younger grades (truancy officers typically focus on teens, he noted).
To combat the ongoing issue, during the 2024-2025 school year, Bryant and his staff implemented a variety of measures including stressing the importance of attending school and sharing data in the school's newsletter that goes home to parents; building stronger relationships with families right out of the gate; providing transportation to Lincoln students, no matter where they live in the district, and checking in with families whose students are on pace to miss four weeks of school in total by year's end.
'We didn't drop in number liked we'd hope, and we knew we needed to do more this year,' he said. 'We started giving attendance certificates, along with a treat, so students see their peers being rewarded for being at school. And the kids want to be there, they just aren't getting there. We hired retired Lincoln School teacher Bess Thompson as an engagement and support specialist to monitor the targeted sub-groups, those who miss a lot of school. She comes in every day and monitors attendance, follows up with families, she calls them, she gets the students to school, she provides academic support. She is eliminating obstacles.'
As a result, Lincoln is on pace to drop its absentee rate to 15 percent in 2026, with the subgroup dropping to 25 percent. He stressed that the school hasn’t been at 15 percent through November in the past three years, and that the relationship building aspect and transportation assistance are making a large impact.
Enhanced Safety in School Buildings: Metal Detectors An open discussion among Board members regarding enhanced safety protocols for school buildings included the possibility of installing metal detectors at the high school.
Board member Emily Sutton brought up her concerns regarding the lack of data on their effectiveness, and the possible negative repercussions for students' mental health and learning. Board member Kristin Terry noted that she had teachers and community members (with and without children) give her an affirmative on the issue because 'that's the world we live in.'
Twomey noted the discussion will continue, and will include teachers, staff and others. The Board also discussed visiting Quincy High School, which recently installed a weapons detection system. The new system, which includes pillars that can be set to various sensitivities, is being installed at all schools in the district. The change was prompted by a security incident, and in addition to the detectors, students' backpacks are also be searched. The Macomb superintendent also brought up the possibility of having a school security expert in to talk to the Board after Board member Robin Severs, and other members, asked for additional information.
Action Items/New Business
The Board unanimously approved the purchase of three 83-passenger buses at a cost of $546,199.14.
Unanimously approved a resolution abating the taxes levied for the year 2025 to pay debt service on the General Obligation Bonds, and approved the authorization for the administration to place the levy on display prior to adoption at the Dec. 15 Board meeting. The proposed tax levy that will be put forth to the McDonough County Clerk's Office is 4.99 percent, which is the maximum the district can request without a truth-in-taxation hearing.
Approved $52,200 through the Fire & Life Safety Amendment #61 to replace carpeting in the Fellheimer Auditorium and some classrooms, and to replace the floor drain system in the boys' locker room.
