Proposed Handbooks for 2019-2020 School Year Presented to NJ-SP School Board

Posted on April 26, 2019
Author Jacque Ryan, WKVI

North Judson-San Pierre School Board members received a summary of some the changes that are included in the 2019-2020 student handbooks when they met last week.

Some of the changes dealt with updates to state regulations. At the elementary school, information about dyslexia screenings was added. At the high school level, language has been included to reflect the new graduation pathways requirements.

Both schools also included information about the corporation’s e-Learning policies.

Elementary School Principal Julie Berndt highlighted a specific change that was made to an existing policy that was in place.

She shared, “We had in the handbook before they could not have bikes, scooters or skateboards to school. I’m not quite sure why that was, I was a bike rider back in my day. So we are going to let them have them.”

Berndt said there will be a designated area for students to leave their alternative modes of transportation during the school day.

Meanwhile, at the junior/senior high school a change was made to the cell phone policy. Principal Jim Polite mentioned that they felt their past policy was a little too open and was still causing some distractions.

He explained, “What we’re asking for is a policy that would not permit them to be out in the classroom. We’re not going to the extent of frisking kids to make sure they’re not bringing phones into class. They just need to be not out or visible.” Polite continued, “If they’re in their pockets, put away, that’s fine, just not out during classroom time.”

These are just a few of the proposed changes that were covered when school board members heard from administrators about the handbooks. Another change related to the school corporation’s transportation policy will be highlighted in a future article.

The handbooks will be up for adoption during the school board’s next meeting in May. 

Additional details about the handbooks will also be shared this Sunday at noon during WKVI’s Kankakee Valley Viewpoints Program.