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Superior High reports improved pass rates and reduced serious incidents, but truancy and THC vaping rise
Summary
School leaders said a little more than 95% of semester-one classes were passed at Superior High School, student suspensions and serious behaviors have decreased, but habitual truancy remains in the upper teens and THC vaping now comprises roughly 30% of vapes found.
The high school principal (identified in the meeting as Mr. Fezzy) told trustees on March 3 that semester-one pass rates at Superior High School were 'a little over 95 percent' and that staff are seeing fewer significant physical or illegal incidents.
Fezzy highlighted academic-and-career-planning (ACP) work at the high school and said the district's plan had been identified by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction as an exemplar. He credited staff members such as Kayla Noll for organizing frequent career-exploration events and said students now attend career fairs and college/trade visits regularly.
The principal also noted initiatives intended to improve school climate: a therapy dog in training from the police department (Millie) visits weekly; the school held a Unity Day and staff-development activities; and building-level teams have emphasized 'productive struggle' and higher-level tasks to support ACT preparation.
Fezzy said mental-health needs remain substantial and are placing sustained demands on counselors and deans. He said the district's rate of habitual truancy has decreased from the prior year but remains 'in the upper teens' (percentage) and continues to require outreach and family engagement.
On vaping, Fezzy said the district has observed a notable shift: three years ago less than 5% of recovered vapes contained THC; the share has grown to around 30% of vapes recovered today. He described limitations with detectors (delay time from front stalls to back detectors can be 40 seconds) and said the district places heavier emphasis on education and community outreach to reduce use.
Fezzy also addressed artificial intelligence in classrooms. The district uses Turnitin, which includes AI-detection features, and staff are discussing how to structure assignments and adopt policies around AI use. He said policy development and additional staff guidance are expected in the coming months.
'A little over 95% of the classes that were taken at Superior High School in semester 1 were passed by our students,' Fezzy said. Trustees asked follow-up questions about truancy trends, vaping mitigation and training; administrators described detection tools, SRO involvement for serious incidents, and the use of educational strategies for prevention.
Most items in the report were informational and will be tracked by administration.
