Safety, Security, Journey12 Discussed at July Board of Education Meeting
At Monday's monthly meeting of the Macomb Community Unit School District (MCUSD) No. 185, numerous discussions took place, along with a few action items.
Open Lunch Coming to an End
Macomb Superintendent Mark Twomey told the Board of Education the decision has been made that the high school campus will no longer allow open lunch periods. The move will be phased in incrementally over the next three years.
According to Twomey, the move comes following a meeting with safety consultant Paul Timm, who will be visiting the district in person this fall to review each building to make suggestions and recommendations on safety and security measures for each school, including the possibility of metal detectors at entrances.
Beginning with the 2026-2027 school year, freshmen, who have never been allowed to leave campus during the lunch period, and sophomores will eat lunch at school. Next year, freshmen, sophomores and juniors will stay put during the lunch hour, and by the final year, 2028-2029, all students will remain on the high school campus for lunch. The move is being phased in gradually to allow the district's food service provider time to adapt, and to allow for scheduling changes over the next three years, Twomey added.
'This decision was not made lightly,' Twomey told the Board and those present. 'When Paul talked to the Board earlier this year, he asked us if we still had an open campus during the lunch hour at the high school. When we told him we did, he stated that none of the security measures will really work if the campus is fully open during that time period.'
Twomey told the media after the meeting that in a perfect world, the move to close campus for all students would take place this year; however, it must be implemented over a few years so that students, staff, the food service provider and lunch hour scheduling can transition to the change.
Currently, the district provides breakfast and lunch at no cost to students in Pre-K-eighth grade; however, the high school does not currently have this option as not enough students and parents self-report in order to obtain the benefit for the high school. Twomey added the poverty rate at the high school has been rising, even though self-reporting usually falls lower than the elementary schools. According to the superintendent, it's his belief the self-reporting may increase, and if it reaches the required level to qualify, the district can offer free meals at the high school as well.
Journey12 Contract
The Board also discussed at length the district's contract with Journey12, which will be up for a vote to renew and consider changes to the terms of the two-year contract at the August meeting. Board members are split on the continuation of the contract, with a few suggesting the magazine be produced locally if possible. Editor's Note: In the spirit of transparency, The Community News Brief owner and publisher will be discussing the possibility of producing the magazine for the district.
Twomey told the Board that he is pleased with the magazine produced by Journey12, and that the majority of individuals he's talked to about the magazine – particularly retirees – enjoy the end product. Member Emily Sutton concurred, noting that older individuals have expressed to her that they like reading the positive stories. Members Kristin Terry and Justice Keene dissented, stating that Journey12 has not provided all the content for which it was paid, and that a handful of residents have not received copies. Both also added the local media provides good coverage of school district topics and issues.
'Flight Path' magazine, which is created by the St. Charles, MO-based company, Journey12, is sent to 8,900 households around Macomb to showcase students, faculty, staff and programs in Macomb Community Unit School District No. 185. The first issue went out Nov. 11, 2025. The Macomb School Board voted in August 2025 to enter into a two-year contract with Journey12 and its owner/publisher Craig Williams to produce the magazine and a podcast at a cost of $90,000 per year. A handful of parents showed up at the August 2025 meeting to argue against the contract.
Along with the magazine, four podcasts were produced; however, a few other programs, such as the CTE mentorship initiative did not come to fruition due to district staffing issues. At the August Board meeting, members are expected to make a decision on continuing with four issues a year at a cost of $85,000 (cost without podcasts); three issues per year (no summer issue) at a cost of $68,0000, or twice a year at a cost of $48,000. No taxpayer money will be used for the project. Grant dollars fund the venture, along with sponsorships for the magazine's production. In addition, Journey12 will provide a handful of scholarship to MHS students.
Kenny Crosby, assistant principal at Lincoln School, is the district liaison with Journey12. In this role, he serves as the go-between with Williams and school administrators. Crosby creates and shares the list of individuals selected by each school's administrator with Journey12 staff, and then coordinates the interviews. Each school administrator is responsible for selecting those students, faculty, staff and programs they want to be considered for 'Flight Path.'
Safety & Security
As mentioned previously, security consultant Paul Timm will be visiting the district in September to assess facilities and make recommendations. Twomey told the Board he is considering Open Gate metal detectors; however, a final decision has not yet been made pending Timm's suggestions. Twomey and Board Member Robin Severs visited the Alton School District to learn more about their security measures, which include metal detectors, and Twomey paid a visit to Granite City to check their metal detection system at that district's schools.
In addition, the state has put a slight pause on the mandate for Illinois school districts to have measures in place to comply with Alyssa's Law. Originally, the safety program was to be in place for the 2026-2027 school year. The state is putting a brief hold on the program as it puts together guidance for districts and seeks federal grant funding to help school districts pay for the implementation.
Alyssa's Law is a state-by-state life-saving safety legislation, that mandates or strongly encourages public K-12 schools to install silent panic alarms/mobile panic alert systems directly linked to local law enforcement. Named in honor of Alyssa Alhadeff, a victim of the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, it aims to eliminate emergency routing delays and drastically reduce police response times.
Career Technical Education Center
With the recent announcement of Shelley Barkley assuming the presidency of Spoon River College, the CTE Committee will resume its meetings in September. Twomey shared that Spoon River is still waiting to see if the school has received either the $3 million grant or $6 million grant (or both) from the Illinois Department of Economic Opportunity. The CTE will be located at Spoon River College.
School-Based Mental Health Services
Cornerstone of Quincy has hired one licensed therapist, and is hiring two mental health support personnel to begin offering free mental health services to approximately 57 students in the district this fall. The organization is funded through Medicaid and insurance services, and will provide two licensed therapists to serve close to three percent of the district's students who are identified as needing mental health assistance. The sole responsibility for the district will be to have a designated office space for the therapists, as well as space within each school building for their sessions with students.
Because of the addition of this program, the district will cease its affiliation with the Regional Office of Education No. 26's ALOP initiative in Spring 2027.
Action Items
At Monday's meeting, the Board approved health insurance premiums effective July 1, 2026; the bid from KW Fence in the amount of $59,110 for the fencing project at Edison Elementary School, and the updated Tort Levy Risk Management Plan, effective July 1, 2026.
In other business, the Board okayed a resolution authorizing the administration to place the tentative 2026-2027 district budget on file for inspection beginning Aug. 20, and establishing Monday, Sept. 21 as the date for the official public hearing on the 2026-2027 district budget. The Board also conducted the first reading on the proposed changes to Board policy 5:185, Family and Medical Leave, waived second reading, and approved changes.
