District upholds expulsion of student through Jan. 2027 and affirms no‑trespass order

The Joliet Township High School District 204 Board of Trustees on Jan. 20 voted to expel a student identified in district records as Student C252613 until January 2027, but the board stayed the expulsion so the student may continue their education at Lincoln School through the period of the recommended removal.

"After receiving and deliberating the information contained in the hearing officer's report, the Board of Education is charged with deciding" whether removal is in the school's best interest, Mrs. Michelle Stiff said before moving the expulsion, reading the criteria the board considered. Mrs. Stiff made the motion; Mr. Matthew Kennedy seconded it. The motion carried on a roll‑call vote with all five members present recorded as voting in favor.

In a separate but related disciplinary action, the board voted to uphold a no‑trespass order for Ms. Mersa Samy, barring her from all Joliet Township High School District 204 properties. Mrs. Stiff again moved the action, Mr. Kennedy seconded it, and the board carried the motion by roll call.

Board members framed the expulsions and exclusions as decisions arrived at after an executive‑session review of a hearing officer's report; Mrs. Stiff summarized the factors the board considered, including whether interventions had been exhausted and whether the student's presence would pose a safety threat or substantially disrupt school operations. The transcript records no public comment on these specific items.

What happens next: the board’s recorded action stays in effect through January 2027 for Student C252613, with the student eligible to reenroll in District 204 at that time; the no‑trespass order for Ms. Samy remains in force as approved. The district did not provide additional public details about the incidents in the meeting minutes.

The board took these votes during its regular meeting at the District Administrative Center, 300 Caterpillar Drive, Joliet, Ill.