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Board votes to expel three students, stays expulsions to allow Lincoln School placement
Summary
The District 204 Board voted to expel three students (C252619, C252620, C252621) for periods specified in hearing officer recommendations but stayed each expulsion so the students may continue education at Lincoln School; motions carried with one or more abstentions recorded.
At its April 21 meeting the Joliet Township High School District 204 Board of Trustees approved expulsions for three students following hearing officer recommendations and then stayed those expulsions to allow each student to continue their education through Lincoln School for the duration of the recommended expulsions.
Board member Dan Coffey opened the item by summarizing the board’s responsibilities under the hearing officer’s report and framed the board’s decision criteria: “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.”
Motions and outcomes recorded in the minutes: - Student C252619: Mr. Coffey moved to expel the student from all District 204 programs until January 2028; the board then stayed the expulsion so the student may continue at Lincoln School. The motion was seconded by Mr. Kennedy and carried. Roll call: ayes from Guerrero Neumayer, Dr. Huntington, Coffey, Stiff and Kennedy; Mr. Fitzpatrick abstained. - Student C252620: Mr. Coffey moved to expel the student from all District 204 programs until June 2027; the board stayed the expulsion so the student may continue at Lincoln School. The motion was seconded by Mr. Kennedy and carried. Roll call: ayes from Dr. Huntington, Coffey, Stiff and Kennedy; abstentions recorded for Guerrero Neumayer and Fitzpatrick. - Student C252621: Mr. Coffey moved to expel the student from all District 204 programs until June 2027; the board stayed the expulsion so the student may continue at Lincoln School. The motion was seconded by Mr. Kennedy and carried. Roll call: ayes from Guerrero Neumayer, Dr. Huntington, Coffey, Stiff and Kennedy; Fitzpatrick abstained.
Why it matters: Expulsions are formal, disciplinary actions with long-term enrollment consequences. In each case the board approved the recommended expulsions but chose to stay those expulsions and permit continued education at Lincoln School, and the minutes specify return/enrollment eligibility dates (January 2028 or June 2027 as applicable).
Next steps: The students may continue at Lincoln School; the board’s motions specify when students may reenroll at District 204.
