Kankakee school board approves consultant contract to secure 8th‑grade high‑school credits amid parent, student objections

The Kankakee School District 111 board on Monday approved a contract listed on the agenda to address issues around eighth‑grade courses that carry high‑school credit, and administrators described plans to partner with the vendor Edmentum to provide high‑school‑certified specialists in a co‑teaching model.

The decision drew sustained public comment from students and parents. Parent Christine Case said she was told her son’s eighth‑grade English and biology classes — both offered for high‑school credit — would move to an online format through a vendor; she called the shift “institutional gaslighting” and questioned a quoted cost and the timing of the change. “This is different from replacing current qualified teachers with online instruction,” she said, adding that high‑school credits were not the family’s priority compared with consistent classroom instruction.

Why it matters: families, students and staff raised concerns that switching mid‑year to an online delivery model could undermine learning, especially for students with limited home internet access, and could effectively relegate in‑class teachers to facilitators rather than instructors. Administrators said the vendor model is a co‑teaching approach that keeps local teachers in the classroom while certified specialists deliver the credit‑bearing standards.

Administration’s pitch and board clarification Jenny Wei, executive director of curriculum and instruction, recommended the contract as a way to ensure certification compliance for high‑school credit‑bearing courses. Wei told the board the approach will not be a shift to fully virtual instruction: “This is not a shift to virtual. Only our students will not be sharing staring at a screen. The students’ teachers will be with them in the classroom, engaging and facilitating the teaching and learning process,” Wei said.

Treasurer Neal and other administrators said the district explored using current district staff but lacked sufficient personnel with the required high‑school certification to cover the affected classes without disrupting other assignments. Administrators said the arrangement is intended to preserve students’ opportunity to earn credits they were promised earlier in the year and that it will be monitored through learning walks by principals and district leaders.

Public concerns Multiple students and parents said they had bad past experiences with remote curricula and worried about engagement and homework completion. Student Elliot said prior online coursework “caused many issues with student engagement, ability to complete work, and overall advancement,” and said many affected families lack reliable internet access. Student Harper Case said the change would be “foolish,” arguing it would sideline teachers and harm students’ learning experiences.

Board action and next steps The board approved the agenda item to secure outside support for the credit issue (the agenda listed a contract with Ed Benham to address the eighth‑grade credit issues). Administrators said they will meet again with impacted staff and students to clarify the rollout and conduct regular classroom visits to ensure instruction continues to be delivered on site. The board did not vote to remove the option for families who do not want high‑school credit; administrators said families who decline credit could opt out, but students who do not earn required endorsements likely would have to retake the course in ninth grade.

What to watch: district leaders said they will follow up with impacted teachers and families, conduct learning‑walk monitoring of classrooms, and provide updates at the next board meeting. The agenda item authorizing the consultant contract passed on the board roll call recorded in the meeting transcript.