JOLIET, Ill. ' The Joliet Township High School District 204 Board on Monday heard its annual harassment, intimidation and bullying (HIB) review, during which assistant principals described how the district investigated 102 cases last school year and changed data-collection and follow-up procedures.

District administrators told the board the district now distinguishes harassment, intimidation and bullying as separate categories and investigates all formal complaints, notifying parents within 24 school hours and completing investigations within 10 school days when a school day is available. Counselors and social workers follow up with both alleged victims and alleged aggressors about five to seven school days after an incident to check on students' wellbeing whether the allegation is verified or not.

The distinction between the three categories was driven in part by state requirements enacted in recent years, presenters said; district staff also have attended multiple state training sessions about how the Illinois State Board of Education expects HIB data to be collected and reported. Presenters said the data the state requests is still evolving and the district will continue to adapt its internal reports accordingly.

Administrators reported locations and patterns for founded bullying: many incidents originate on social media or in unstructured school spaces, and some incidents list "other/unspecified" as the basis when the behavior does not map clearly to a protected characteristic. The presenters said those patterns informed where the district focuses prevention and supervision.

To improve reporting and response, the district said it has updated internal forms and begun a stronger coordination between building PPS (pupil personnel services) staff, counselors and social workers so victims receive resources promptly and so follow-up contacts occur consistently.

Board member Michelle Lynn thanked staff for the detailed data work and said the spreadsheet-derived reports were helpful in understanding individual incidents. There was no formal action requested from the board on the presentation; the item was informational.

Looking ahead, presenters said the district will continue training staff during Safety Week and refine how incidents are categorized and tracked to match evolving state reporting requirements.