Plainfield School District 202 administrators told the district’s Personnel, Policy & Administration (PPA) committee on Feb. 19 that they are recommending a package of policy updates and new hires aimed at student safety, special education services and extracurricular offerings.

Administrators asked the committee to approve eight district policies for a 30‑day public display and recommended hiring a new full‑time director of safety and security, a non‑union orientation and mobility (O&M) specialist for students with visual impairments and the addition of girls flag football as a sanctioned extracurricular sport. They also recommended raising substitute pay across classifications and seeking formal adoption of an accelerated placement (single‑subject/honors) policy.

The assistant superintendent summarized the action items at the start of the meeting, saying the agenda included “8 policies to discuss to put on 30 day display. A recommendation, to hire a director of safety and security, an orientation and mobility specialist, extracurricular, flag football, and approval to increase the substitute daily rate.” The committee reviewed the recommended policy language and discussed operational details for the new positions.

On the proposed director of safety and security, district staff said the role would serve as the district’s point person for emergency and law enforcement agencies, coordinate emergency‑preparedness plans and drills, oversee security technology (including cameras and visitor‑management tools) and provide staff training. The assistant superintendent said the position would be a 12‑month role with a recommended salary range of $85,000 to $115,000 and would report to the assistant superintendent’s office.

Sergeant Malicek of the Plainfield Police Department, who attended the meeting as a member of the safety committee, told the committee the position would coordinate with local law enforcement. The assistant superintendent said comparable districts including Oswego and Naperville operate similar, dedicated safety roles.

On the orientation and mobility specialist, administrators told the committee District 202 currently contracts for O&M services; creating an in‑district O&M specialist would allow the district to provide direct services to students with visual impairments, to make up missed minutes, and to offer limited services to neighboring districts as workload allowed. The proposed salary range was $75,000–$88,000 plus roughly $22,000 in benefits.

The meeting also covered a proposed new girls flag‑football program at the high schools. District staff said the IHSA added girls flag football this year, that conference schools are adding the sport and that the district’s recommendation is for varsity and junior varsity teams at each of the four high schools. Start‑up costs were estimated at about $43,000 for uniforms and equipment and approximately $91,000 in coaching stipends, for a total first‑year cost of roughly $134,000.

Administrators proposed raising substitute pay across classifications. The recommendation would increase the daily rate from $130 to $150 for classroom substitutes, raise the permanent substitute rate to $210, increase the long‑term sub rate to $200, raise paraprofessional rates and increase hourly rates for custodial and nursing substitutes. District staff estimated the total cost of the multi‑year pay change at about $1,073,100.

District staff also described recommended policy updates, including revisions to records/FOIA procedures, student fees and revenue and investment policy to reflect state law (the public funds investment act) and CRA preference language for local banks.

The committee discussed job duties and reporting lines for the safety director, questions about whether the safety director would perform staff evaluations (administration answered no) and whether the role would conduct building safety audits and coordinate with the ROE audit process (administration answered yes). Staff said the position would work with building administrators, vendors and emergency agencies. The committee asked that some language clarifying that the safety director’s responsibilities include student‑to‑student safety concerns (gang membership, bullying, fight prevention) be added to the job description; administrators agreed to add the clarification and to mark five years’ experience as preferred rather than required.

Action and next steps: the committee heard the proposals and directed administration to bring the items forward for board consideration. No final district‑level hiring decision was made at the committee meeting; administrators said the committee recommendation would move to the full Board of Education for final approval.

Ending: district leaders said the new roles and pay adjustments are intended to align District 202 with comparable districts and to provide more in‑house capacity for safety and specialized services. The committee scheduled further review and formal board consideration.