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District 99 completes staff ‘relationship mapping’; identifies 324 students with 0–1 adult connections across both high schools
Summary
District 99 presented results of a staff‑completed relationship mapping activity: staff identified 170 students at Downers Grove North and 154 at Downers Grove South with zero or one positive adult relationship; district teams will use lists to target supports and interview students not involved in activities and athletics.
District 99 staff reported results of a districtwide relationship‑mapping exercise that asked every staff member at both high schools to mark which students they have a trusting relationship with. The district said the exercise identified pockets of students with few adult connections and gave administrators actionable lists for targeted outreach.
Courtney (presenter) said the North High results show an average of about 6.9 positive relationships per student and identified 170 students with 0–1 relationships. At South High, presenters reported an average of 6.8 positive relationships and 154 students with 0–1 relationships.
The presentation highlighted grade‑level differences: freshman had the fewest reported relationships (North: about 3.5 average, South: about 4.6 average by one presenter), and seniors reported substantially more connections (North seniors averaged about 10.5 relationships). Presenters also reported gender and subgroup differences: females, students with IEPs and Black/African American students had higher average counts in the staff data, while male and Asian students appeared with fewer staff‑reported relationships in some analyses.
Staff described how the lists were generated: each staff member received a roster of all students and checked names they believed they had a trusting relationship with; the exercise took about an hour per building. Technology staff merged the attendance of checks with student records to produce cross tabulations for race/ethnicity, IEP and free/reduced status.
Next steps presented to the board included targeted outreach by counselors and C‑SS (counseling/social services) teams to the students on the 0–1 lists, deliberate efforts to increase participation in activities and athletics (which are known to boost adult and peer connections), and interviews by access teachers to surface barriers to participation. South staff planned an access‑teacher interview session and North will follow. Presenters said many students on the 0–1 lists nonetheless have good grades and attendance, so the district plans to make informal, relationship‑building contacts rather than only formal interventions.
Board members asked whether the district will survey students and families; presenters said they plan to include anonymous questions in a future district survey and that staff‑to‑student mapping is an initial step recommended by outside partners.
