Parents and advocacy group press Rantoul board over junior high bullying, ask for clearer policies

Members of the Rantoul Family Advocacy Coalition urged the Rantoul City Schools #137 Board of Education on Oct. 16 to take firmer, more consistent action on bullying at the junior high. Chez Bennet, Terri Ann Mackins, Quinn Munson and Sabrina Riveria described incidents they say have included physical, verbal and cyberbullying and said communication with families has been inconsistent.

"She asked the board to work in partnership with parents in how bullying incidents are handled and how the information is shared," according to the public comment record. Terri Ann Mackins told the board she felt administrative responses had been inconsistent and asked for more parent involvement and programs that bring students together.

During a later agenda item, Dr. Woods presented Board Policy 7:180 and explained the district's documentation and reporting procedures for bullying complaints and statutory obligations. Dr. Woods said anyone can initiate a report and that staff sometimes assist students in completing reports; he also described annual staff training on the topic. The board discussed limits on disciplining off‑campus behavior and current phone policies, with Dr. Woods noting that students are expected to keep phones locked in lockers.

Board members pressed for simpler communications to families. Board Member Katie Johnston asked for plain‑language flyers to clarify what counts as bullying and how families will be notified. Niki Pettit raised a tracking concern, asking how the district ensures repeated reports made to different staff members are collected and addressed collectively. Ms. Pettit noted a risk that incidents reported to multiple staffers on the same day might be treated as separate, rather than aggregated, reports.

Next steps: Board members suggested further discussion of parent‑community committees and possible programming; no formal change to policy language was adopted at the meeting.