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District outlines consolidated plan and steps to curb exclusionary discipline; restorative-practices training planned
Summary
Superintendent and district leaders presented the required consolidated district plan, citing the district’s placement in the top 20% statewide for exclusionary-discipline metrics and proposing school-level student success plans, MTSS strategies and a restorative-practices seminar for administrators.
District leaders presented the Springfield Public Schools consolidated district plan at the May 18 board meeting and described specific interventions the district will use to reduce exclusionary discipline and improve school climate.
Nicole Moody, introduced as Doctor Nicole Moody, led the presentation and walked trustees through three SMART goals: culture and climate, math and literacy. The district tied its academic goals to measures such as NWEA MAP and said the culture goal will rely on a district-created tiered-fidelity behavioral tool and multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS).
The superintendent reported that Illinois State Board of Education data place the district in the top 20% of districts statewide for exclusionary discipline (suspensions and expulsions), a status that triggers a required plan. "We are in the top 20% of all school districts in the state of Illinois for exclusionary discipline," the superintendent said. The presentation showed suspension rates ranging roughly between 22% and 38% on the district’s reported measures, and district staff emphasized that the primary challenge is suspensions rather than expulsions because the district operates alternative programs for expelled students.
To address the problem, district leaders proposed several steps: individualized student-success planning for schools that cross a district-defined threshold (10% of the school population reaching an exclusionary-discipline outcome), expanded use of MTSS and restorative practices, mandatory restorative-practices training for administrative teams and ongoing data reviews (annual data review scheduled for June 4). District staff also discussed family- and community-engagement strategies (FACE) as a new, more detailed section of the consolidated plan.
Board members asked how interventions would connect to community partners and early-intervention efforts; district staff cited partnerships with a regional office, early-intervention programs and a state’s-attorney-led initiative that can support truancy and early assessment. The district said it will present the plan for a formal vote at a subsequent meeting so it can be submitted to the Illinois State Board of Education and maintain federal funding eligibility.
What happens next: the board will consider a vote to adopt the consolidated district plan at a future meeting; in the meantime, the district scheduled restorative-practice seminars and an annual data review to monitor progress.
