District 158 held its monthly Board of Education meeting this Thursday, Oct. 21. Because of the cancellation of the Committee of the Whole meeting on Oct. 14, the Regular BOE meeting took place on the third Thursday of this month.

All agenda items from the canceled Committee of the Whole meeting were instead addressed in last night’s regular session.

The meeting began by highlighting the Project Lead the Way launch happening for students in kindergarten through 5th grade. 

Students are encouraged to engage in hands-on activities in all 18 modules presented in the program. The modules are based on computer science, engineering, earth science, and biomedical sciences. Modules are spread throughout all 5 years of elementary education.

According to elementary school teacher Brandi Wargo, these modules will help students focus on 21st-century learning skills and are aligned to common core standards.

After the brief presentation, general concerns from both parents and students were shared with the members of the board. They confronted district officials about the school mask mandate, complaints with school-issued quarantines, the importance of recognizing down syndrome awareness month, and the equity program.

Also, concerns about parents’ ability to “opt-in or out” of certain surveys have become a concern when these choices have seemingly been ignored – regardless of one’s choice. 

Kelly Eagan, a District 158 parent, claims that her request to opt her child out of the Behavioral Emotional Screening System survey this week was ignored by her child’s teacher.

“This needs to be fixed to assure parents that proper protocols are in place,” Eagan said. “Imagine your child coming home from school and learning that a medical procedure was administered without your consent.”

Furthermore, the board discussed finances, including costly items such as disinfecting supplies, the additional costs of cleaning, and interest rates that are less than favorable due to a dive in the economy. Expenses went up while ADA went down due to a decline in average daily attendance.

Nonetheless, the district aims to stay sustainable to meet the needs of students in the community.