District 99 outlines PATH, academic-integrity shifts and handbook updates including personal-device rules

District 99 administrators told the board they are expanding restorative in-school interventions (PATH), moving academic-integrity responses toward learning-centered modules, and updating the student/family handbook to clarify personal-device rules.

Patrick, a building administrator, summarized PATH as an inschool intervention program intended to restore relationships and keep students connected to learning. He said 20 students met the threshold for a three-day in-school intervention this year and that PATH’s success rate was about 80%, with only two of those 20 repeating the behavior. “The goal is that they don't make the same mistake,” Patrick said while describing how PATH coordinators help students identify trusted adults and build supports.

Administrators described a new academic-integrity framework that places lessons and remediation in PATH rooms rather than relying on punitive suspension. They reported 94 distinct students at one campus and 62 at another had documented academic-integrity incidents; recidivism was low. The district is forming an AI committee, with teacher and administrator representatives and content-area subgroups, to develop rubrics, professional learning and guidance on acceptable uses of AI tools and classroom guardrails. The administration said teachers can use lockdown and monitoring software (HPAR/HAR tools) and that professional learning is available for staff who opt into those features.

Handbook updates include broader language on “personal devices” (instead of only cell phones), use of phone pouches in class, and loss-of-privileges as an available consequence. Administrators noted recent legislation that requires updated district policies and said the district’s revisions are expected to align with forthcoming ISBE guidance through 2030.

On school safety, administrators briefed the board that each high school has a School Resource Officer (SRO) employed by the Village of Downers Grove Police Department, and that a decades-long intergovernmental agreement has been rewritten to match new state law; the revised agreement has been reviewed by both the district’s and the village’s attorneys and will return for formal board approval.

Administrators said the behavior/handbook changes are designed to improve consistency across buildings and to reduce repeat referrals; the board signaled support and asked for continued monitoring and reports as policy language is finalized.