USD116 BOE Update: Jan. 4, 2022
from Superintendent Dr. Ivory-Tatum
Administrative Reports
9.1 Door Detection System Demo and Discussion
A representative from Open Gate Door Detection Systems gave a demo on its door detection system. View the Open Gate School Security Brochure
- 84 Staff Member from UHS
- 323 Students from UHS
Multiple communications were sent to staff and students asking them to complete the survey. Paper copies were also handed out during lunch periods.
Some takeaways from the survey:
- Of those surveyed, roughly 70 percent of students and 60 percent of staff feel safe at school.
- Of those surveyed, roughly 30 percent of students and 38 percent of staff do NOT feel safe at school.
- Of those surveyed, roughly 50 percent of students and 30 percent of staff feel their school has enough safety and security plans in place.
- Of those surveyed, roughly 42 percent of students and 70 percent of staff do NOT feel their school has enough safety and security plans in place.
- Of those surveyed, roughly 60 percent of students and 80 percent of staff have concerns that students may have weapons in school or outsiders could bring weapons into the school.
- Of those surveyed, roughly 35 percent of students and 10 percent of staff do NOT have concerns that students may have weapons in school or outsiders could bring weapons into the school.
- Of those surveyed, roughly 45 percent of students and 70 percent of staff feel a metal detector would make them feel safer at school.
- Of those surveyed, roughly 55 percent of students and 25 percent of staff do NOT feel a metal detector would make them feel safer at school.
- Of those surveyed, roughly 50 percent of students and almost 80 percent of staff would be in support of a door detection system.
- Of those surveyed, roughly 50 percent of students and 20 percent of staff would NOT be in support of a door detection system.
Next steps:
Following Board Decision
- Finalize equipment purchase
- Develop communication plan for families and staff
- Schedule training for screening staff
- Setup and test devices without students
- First day rollout for student testing
A vote is expected at the next BOE meeting.
9.2 District Goals Update
The Assistant Superintendent of Student Learning gave a mid-year update on the progress of district and school improvement goals.
District SMART Goal #1: SEL Goal
- Transforming Learning Spaces to Be Safe and Supportive for All Students
- Identify and align mathematical standards/ skills across all grade levels.
District SMART Goal #3: Literacy Goal
- Identify literacy standards/skills across all grade levels
- USD116 customized the questions utilizing Panorama for educators and staff that highlights Cultural Awareness and Action. This was deployed on December 17th
- A Standards Based Grade District Committee was established and PD will be supported through Rick Wormeli
- Provide equitable access to culturally responsive curriculum, as well as utilizing equitable assessment
- Practices in order to ensure social and academic advancement through educational opportunities.
District SMART Goal #5: Equity Goal 2
Utilize culturally responsive teaching practices in order to promote student success and individual well-being.
Next Steps:
- Each school is sharing their narrative and current status on their goals
- NWEA MAP and Panorama will be administered beginning January 10
- We will focus on continuous improvement within each school and at the District level surrounding SEL, Equity, Literacy, and Math
Superintendent Report
- We had a great turnout at our staff and student testing sites yesterday and today. We tested more than 600 people between the two days. We will still be offering our normal weekly testing schedule going forward.
- Starting next week, Thomas Paine and Wiley will be added to the weekly testing schedule. This means all of our schools, except Urbana Early Childhood, will offer testing.
Omicron is now the dominant version of the coronavirus in the U.S. We realize many of our families have concerns about the rapid spread of this in our area. We are committed to keeping our school community safe while keeping our students in-person as long as we can.
We have 3 remaining eLearning days for inclement weather that could also be used for District eLearning as needed
Before we would move to a full eLearning day for the entire district, we will be able to utilize “adaptive pauses” building by building in the event there are significant outbreaks or staff shortages that we cannot cover. We will do our best to provide at minimum a day’s notice when we have to close a full building. We believe the best place for learning is in our classrooms but want families to know that we will pivot as needed.
- Plan for remote learning: We hope we can continue to maintain a safe and supportive learning environment for all of our students. We also recognize there may be times in the coming year that we will need to utilize remote learning for any host of reasons (i.e., adaptive pause, weather related, emergency days) To prepare for this possibility the District will have:
Upcoming Dates
January 14: Institute Day
No School for EC - 5
Early Dismissal UMS & UHS
January 17: No School in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Urbana School District #116
Email: contactus@usd116.org
Website: usd116.org
Location: 205 North Race Street, Urbana, IL, USA
Phone: (217) 384-3600
Facebook: facebook.com/usd116
Twitter: @urbana116
