District reports on discipline, expulsions and supports; staff outline ISS, Catalyst, detention and new prevention steps

Joliet Township High School District staff presented the annual exclusionary discipline and student support services report, describing trends in referrals, expulsions and interventions and outlining steps the district will take to reduce out‑of‑school consequences and increase prevention.

Brett (administrator), presenting the discipline portion, told the board that tardy referrals rose to nearly 4,400 and that disruptive referrals decreased from about 3,300 to just under 3,000 across both campuses. “A total of 716, on a positive, there was a decrease in referrals for disruptive behaviors,” the presenter said while reviewing the slides.

Staff said severe infractions increased at Joliet West and decreased at Joliet Central, and reported that 40 percent of severe incidents occurred in unstructured areas such as hallways and restrooms. To reduce incidents and remove debates that escalate to confrontation, the district plans to continue and expand these interventions:

- Intensive Student Support (ISS): now a structured full‑day intervention staffed by licensed substitutes; ISS use increased while out‑of‑school suspension decreased in historical comparison. - Student Support Table and attendance interventions: the district piloted a “student support table” and a late‑arrival parent‑call protocol after a Bolingbrook High School visit; administrators said they will call parents when students are repeatedly late and will try an auditorium‑collection process for late arrivals during the construction year. - Infinite Campus electronic hall passes: West Campus piloted scanning restroom passes, and the district will expand electronic passes to both campuses to reduce confrontations with security staff. - Catalyst program: a 3‑day self‑contained intervention with an eight‑week follow‑up; district staff reported refusal rates of roughly 28 percent at Central and 13 percent at West and said staff contact families within 24 hours after a refusal to try to reengage participants. - Problem‑solving circles and TAOP/Lincoln programs: 209 students participated in problem‑solving circles this year (with 154 families completing the program); Lincoln’s TAOP truancy program served 18 students (9 at each campus).

On expulsions, the district said it recorded 21 expulsions this year (6 at Central, 15 at West). Age breakdowns cited were nine freshmen, four sophomores, four juniors and four seniors. Staff said return‑to‑school transitions include a meeting with the student, dean, counselor and family and that the district offers problem‑solving circles and other reentry supports.

The report also covered substance‑use interventions. Staff described a partnership with Bella Recovery for prevention education and a new Will County substance‑abuse counselor for higher‑level in‑person supports. The district said it won a grant applied for by Amber Mitchell (substance abuse counselor) to support mental‑health and substance‑use prevention programming.

Presenters emphasized that race, IEP status and income continue to be correlated with higher rates of severe incidents and that the district is prioritizing additional programming for students with IEPs. Staff said they will investigate alternative programming beyond Catalyst to better serve students with IEPs.

Board members and staff also discussed security staffing, targeted adult presence in high‑traffic areas and the ROE ALAC push‑in program, which the district expects to add two student success coordinators next year (one per campus) to support high‑risk students.

Presenters asked the board to note continued data collection and the iterative nature of operational changes during the construction year and beyond.