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Joliet Township High School District 204 board upholds expulsions but stays them so students may continue at Lincoln School
Summary
The Joliet Township High School District 204 Board of Trustees voted to expel four students but simultaneously stayed those expulsions so each student may continue their education through Lincoln School; reenrollment dates were set for January 2027 and January 2028.
The Joliet Township High School District 204 Board of Trustees voted March 18 to expel four students recommended by the district's hearing officers, but the board immediately stayed each expulsion so the students may continue their education at Lincoln School for the duration of the recommended discipline.
The board convened into public session to take formal votes after executive session deliberations. Mr. Dan Coffey, introducing the board's public findings, said the board must decide whether removal is in the school's best interest, the rationale for the length of any expulsion, whether interventions were exhausted and whether the student's continued presence would threaten safety or substantially disrupt operations. "after receiving and deliberating the information contained in the hearing officer's report, the Board of Education is charged with deciding: 1. Whether removing the child from his or her learning environment is in the best interest of the school; 2. What the rationale is for the specific duration of the recommended expulsion; 3. Whether all appropriate and available behavioral and disciplinary interventions were exhausted; and 4. Whether the continued presence in school would either; (a) pose a threat to the safety of other students, staff, or members of the school community, or (b) substantially disrupt, impede, or interfere with the operation of the school.", he said.
The board approved the following outcomes by roll call vote:
Student C252615: Motion to expel until January 2027, with the expulsion stayed to allow continued education at Lincoln School; motion seconded and carried (Ayes: Guerrero Neumayer, Huntington, Coffey, Stiff, Fitzpatrick, Lynn; Abstain: Kennedy).
Student C252616: Motion to expel until January 2027, with the expulsion stayed to allow continued education at Lincoln School; motion seconded and carried (Ayes: Lynn, Guerrero Neumayer, Coffey, Stiff, Fitzpatrick; Nays: Huntington; Abstain: Kennedy).
Student C252617: Motion to expel until January 2027, with the expulsion stayed to allow continued education at Lincoln School; motion seconded and carried (Ayes: Fitzpatrick, Lynn, Guerrero Neumayer, Huntington, Coffey, Stiff; Abstain: Kennedy).
Student W252618: Motion to expel until January 2028, with the expulsion stayed to allow continued education at Lincoln School; motion seconded and carried (Ayes: Lynn, Guerrero Neumayer, Huntington, Coffey, Stiff; Nay: Fitzpatrick; Abstain: Kennedy).
All expulsions in these motions were stayed so the affected students may continue at Lincoln School for the specified period; the board set reenrollment eligibility as listed above. The minutes record individual roll call tallies and abstentions for transparency.
The board's action reflects an expressed balancing of student discipline procedures and interim educational continuity by using stays that permit district-provided alternative placement at Lincoln School. No additional appeals or administrative follow-up steps were recorded in the minutes for these specific cases at this meeting.
