ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — The Rock Island-Milan School District has started a new initiative within its schools to address concerns both in school and within the community.
Every new school year brings an opportunity for a fresh start, especially after the past few years.
"Last year we were seeing an abundance of behavior concerns," said Dr. Kathy Ruggeberg, the district's assistant superintendent for teaching and learning.
Since the district moved back fully from the COVID-19 pandemic, Ruggeberg said the district is implementing a new approach, bringing a diverse group of voices to the decision-making table.
"Sometimes we’ve heard the same voices for years, and things aren’t changing," Ruggeberg said. "So we’re trying to reach out in different ways to different groups, to get feedback from those that have different challenges from others."
One of those challenges involves attendance.
"We are working with approximately 40% or more of our students who have missed nine or more days, the past three years in our school district," said Alicia Sanders, the district's director of student services.
Sanders, along with others, developed a letter to the community. It asks parents, employers and community organizations for help addressing the concerns district leaders are seeing in school.
"We see the students five days a week for seven hours a day," Ruggeberg said. "We need the community’s help as well."
"A lot of our behavioral incidents that are happening that we hear from the community, as well as speaking to the students, they are outside behaviors happening in our community that are outside of school that are coming to the school," Sanders said, specifically about the secondary education level buildings.
Over the summer, district leaders re-evaluated how to handle certain types of discipline in each of its buildings, specifically looking for consistency, Sanders said.
The district is also more consistently enforcing policies on backpacks and cell phones, among other safety and behavior protocols, Sanders added.
"It has always been the expectation. It, over the past couple years, has become loose," Sanders said.
With this new approach, the district's conversations include people like Rock Island County NAACP President Bonnie Ballard. Ballard used to work for the district back in the 1970s.
"I want kids to succeed and the only way they're going to succeed then we need to as adults have high expectations," Ballard said. "With this new project, I believe that we can get to the root of whatever’s going on."
The district is also hearing from parents about concerns they hear about at home from their students.
"One of the things we talked about is having a dynamic shift when students come to school, maybe the first or second day, they're going to seven or eight classes and each class teachers go over their rules," said Karen Davis, a parent of two Rock Island-Milan students. "Maybe if we have a shift where they're saying what students can do."
One other suggestion on the 'code of conduct' discussion, Davis said, is to handle this in a school-assembly style instead, and "get that kind of lecture over with."
Davis added a starting point like that may be simply re-framing a rule from "don't talk" to "make sure you raise your hand and participate."
Davis also added addressing these concerns are complex, given each student's individual challenges away from school.
It may be something more than kid doesn’t want to come to school," Davis said. "Maybe they have to work a second job to help their family and they are legit tired at night and they aren’t able to get up the next morning because they are having to go to school all day and work all night. So it’s not always just a simple answer."
"We should show kindness to each other so people that live here can feel safe and that they belong in our community and they don’t have to act a certain way to ‘make it,'" said Zoe Davis, an eighth grade student at Washington Junior High and Karen's daughter.
Nothing about addressing these concerns is simple. But for now, it's a start.
"The schools cannot do this alone," Ruggeberg said.
District leaders said they are committed to ongoing discussion and conversations with students, staff and community organizations to find the best solutions for the community. They say academic success will come with time, once behavior and attendance concerns are addressed.
The district created the sign below that can be displayed at your home or business if you wish. You can download it here. There are also other signs outside every Rock Island-Milan school, advocating for responsibility and respect.
