Plainfield SD 202 board approves five student-discipline actions, several field trips and routine consent items

The Plainfield School District 202 Board of Education voted on five administrative student-discipline recommendations and approved a consent agenda of field trips, minutes and personnel items at its meeting held in open session following a closed session on personnel and student-discipline matters.

Board members accepted the district’s administrative recommendations for alternative placement or expulsion in five separate student-discipline cases. The board moved into closed session earlier in the meeting “for purposes of 1.5 personnel, 1.6 collective negotiations, and 1.9 student discipline” before returning to open session and taking the votes.

The most consequential actions were three long-term alternative placements and two expulsions. In the first case, the board accepted the recommendation that “Student A” be alternatively placed outside the district for the remainder of the 2024–25 school year and the entire 2025–26 school year, with the condition that Student A return to the Plainfield Academy TAP program upon completion. Tony Gollat made the motion; Dr. Baxter seconded. The motion passed with board members voting in favor.

In a separate motion the board approved that Student B return to their home school upon completion of an external suspension. That motion was moved by Tony Gollat and seconded by Dr. Ruhlin; it passed on a roll call vote.

For Student C the board accepted the administrative recommendation for alternative placement for the remainder of the 2024–25 school year, the entire 2025–26 school year and the first semester of the 2026–27 school year, or until graduation, whichever comes first. Tony Gollat moved the motion; Miss Bridal seconded. The motion passed.

The board also approved administrative recommendations to expel Student D for the remainder of the 2024–25 school year and the entire 2025–26 school year, and to expel Student E for the remainder of the 2024–25 school year and all of the 2025–26 school year. Both expulsion motions were moved by Tony Gollat and carried after roll-call votes.

All five student-discipline items were presented as administrative recommendations; the board recorded seconds, roll-call votes and outcomes for each motion. The motions and votes followed the board’s closed-session consideration of student-discipline matters.

In other business, the board approved a multi-item consent agenda that included the following field trips and routine items: approval of field trips for Plainfield High School Central Campus students to the WGI championship guard and percussion contests in Dayton, Ohio (April), boys track invites at Bellevue West High School (Bellevue, Ill.) and Edwardsville High School (Edwardsville, Ill.), DECA State Career Development Conference participation in Rosemont, Ill., approval of the Jan. 22 regular-session minutes, and approval of certified and noncertified personnel agendas as presented. The consent agenda was moved and approved on a single vote.

Board members also heard routine reports: an intergovernmental liaison update that noted recent coordination with village and township taxing bodies on the Trammell Crow/143rd Street project; a Foundation for Excellence report highlighting available scholarships and application deadlines; a WILCO report noting January expenditures of $157,517.45 and ongoing contract negotiations with teaching staff; and a Freedom of Information Act status report listing five requests received since the last meeting.

Votes at a glance: - Consent agenda (field trips, minutes and personnel items): approved (motion carried unanimously). The consent agenda included field trips for Plainfield High School Central Campus, Plainfield North, Plainfield South and Plainfield East to events in Dayton, Bellevue, Edwardsville and Rosemont; certification and noncertified personnel items; and minutes from Jan. 22. - Item 7.1 — Student A: approve alternative placement outside district for remainder of 2024–25 and entire 2025–26 school years; return to Plainfield Academy TAP upon completion. Mover: Tony Gollat. Seconder: Dr. Baxter. Outcome: approved. - Item 7.2 — Student B: approve return to home school upon completion of external suspension. Mover: Tony Gollat. Seconder: Dr. Ruhlin. Outcome: approved. - Item 7.3 — Student C: approve alternative placement remainder of 2024–25, all of 2025–26 and first semester 2026–27 (or until graduation). Mover: Tony Gollat. Seconder: Miss Bridal. Outcome: approved. - Item 7.4 — Student D: expulsion for remainder of 2024–25 and entire 2025–26 school year. Mover: Tony Gollat. Seconder: Dr. Baxter. Outcome: approved. - Item 7.5 — Student E: expulsion for remainder of 2024–25 and all of 2025–26. Mover: Tony Gollat. Seconder: Margarita (as recorded). Outcome: approved.

The board scheduled committee meetings for Feb. 19 (personnel, policy, administration; curriculum and technology; site and finance) and noted the next regular board meeting on Feb. 26. Several board members and staff thanked colleagues for their work on student-discipline packets and recognized district students for extracurricular achievements earlier in the meeting.

The board’s actions on student discipline were recorded after closed-session consideration; the motions implemented administrative recommendations and did not include additional detail in open session about the incidents that led to the recommendations.