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Post by WeNeed3 on Mar 4, 2009 18:09:13 GMT -5
Dear Indian Prairie Community,
Over the past few weeks, the Indian Prairie Board of Education has listened to impassioned comments from members of the community regarding the alleged assault case involving middle school students. It is an emotional issue that is not easy for our community, especially for the families involved. Each one of us feels compassion for all those involved, especially the children. In addressing this issue, the board must carefully weigh the welfare of the alleged victim and accused with the district's legal obligation to provide an education to all of our students.
The board's first question to the administration was to find out what the school was doing to provide for student safety. We learned of the many additional steps the school took beginning last November, starting with separating students so they would not be in classes together. The school's plan assigned additional staff to shadow students during all non-class time, including passing periods and addressed areas such as restroom use and locker locations. All of this was done immediately after the alleged incident took place and three months before a recently issued court order between the families required the students to stay 100 feet apart. School officials are confident they can meet the requirements set out in the court order because of the plan that was already in place.
While we are confident the plan the school has in place provides a safe environment for students, it does not address the emotions felt by family members or the community over the serious allegations in this case. We want the community to know that we understand the emotions connected to this issue. We volunteer our time because we care about the children in our community and want to do what is best for all our students.
Caring about children extends to caring about their families. As such, we will be meeting with both families involved in this situation later this week in an effort to learn more from their perspective. The board has an ethical obligation to continue to conduct due diligence and ensure fairness to all parties involved. Meeting with the families will enable us to better understand the situation.
The board has spent much time reviewing information from all the various entities involved and has been discussing this issue at great length. We recognize there are areas that could have been handled differently, but we are committed to moving forward in a way that will best serve the families involved in this incident as well as our community.
We are using lessons learned from this experience to review and evaluate our policies and procedures related to student discipline and are committed to improving them wherever possible. We are also working with Naperville District 203 to create an alternative middle school similar to our alternative high school. Should Representative Darlene Senger's proposed legislation become law, the alternative middle school could provide a placement option for future middle school students for whom the regular setting is deemed unsuitable.
It will take the cooperation of all of our stakeholders to resolve this issue in a positive way for everyone. We ask for your support as we move forward.
Sincerely,
John Stephens, Jeannette Clark, Curt Bradshaw, Cathy Piehl, Alka Tyle, Chris Vickers
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Post by WeNeed3 on Mar 4, 2009 18:11:55 GMT -5
I hope it didn't take the resignation of MM to be allowed to write this.
This should have been written in January, but I commend the board for showing some sympathy.
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Arwen
Master Member
Posts: 933
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Post by Arwen on Mar 4, 2009 18:28:44 GMT -5
I hope it didn't take the resignation of MM to be allowed to write this. This should have been written in January, but I commend the board for showing some sympathy. It certainly sets a good tone.
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Post by eb204 on Mar 4, 2009 18:40:14 GMT -5
I'm finally glad to hear that the school had already put things in place to keep these kids apart and it sounds like there was constant supervision during normally unsupervised times. I believe this is one part of the story that no one was hearing and contradicts what was being told in the papers and other public venues. It was reported that "nothing was being done" or "why did it take 3 months?". It sounds like things were already being addressed within the parameters of the current policies. I'm sure there is more to this than even was reported in this letter. To what extent, the public may never really know for sure. It is a matter between the parents, their children and school officials. I hope they can get back to focusing their efforts on these families.
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Post by steckdad on Mar 4, 2009 19:14:41 GMT -5
I'm finally glad to hear that the school had already put things in place to keep these kids apart and it sounds like there was constant supervision during normally unsupervised times. I believe this is one part of the story that no one was hearing and contradicts what was being told in the papers and other public venues. It was reported that "nothing was being done" or "why did it take 3 months?". It sounds like things were already being addressed within the parameters of the current policies. I'm sure there is more to this than even was reported in this letter. To what extent, the public may never really know for sure. It is a matter between the parents, their children and school officials. I hope they can get back to focusing their efforts on these families. If MM had replied in this fashion, he would still be the president...
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Post by warriormom on Mar 4, 2009 19:27:06 GMT -5
I'm finally glad to hear that the school had already put things in place to keep these kids apart and it sounds like there was constant supervision during normally unsupervised times. I believe this is one part of the story that no one was hearing and contradicts what was being told in the papers and other public venues. It was reported that "nothing was being done" or "why did it take 3 months?". It sounds like things were already being addressed within the parameters of the current policies. I'm sure there is more to this than even was reported in this letter. To what extent, the public may never really know for sure. It is a matter between the parents, their children and school officials. I hope they can get back to focusing their efforts on these families. If MM had replied in this fashion, he would still be the president... \ In this fashion AND in a more timely fashion. Very well written otherwise....the timing just diminishes good intentions unfortunately.
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Post by gatormom on Mar 4, 2009 19:32:42 GMT -5
In this fashion AND in a more timely fashion. Very well written otherwise....the timing just diminishes good intentions unfortunately. The district is writing the manual on this one. I imagine other districts are taking notes.
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Post by southsidesignmaker on Mar 4, 2009 19:42:48 GMT -5
This was a very good step to start the healing process.
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Post by wvhsparent on Mar 4, 2009 20:52:13 GMT -5
Agree with everything everyone has posted
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Post by asmodeus on Mar 4, 2009 21:48:54 GMT -5
Woefully inadequate.
So to protect the victim and the accused, staff is "shadowing" (watching) them at all times. I'm sure that's great for their psyches. And what about the emotional issues? Is it too hard to imagine that the very sight of the accused is enough to make the victim upset? Or the fact that they are probably interacting with some of the same kids, who may then relate comments back and forth?
Get the accused kid to another middle school. Period.
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Post by drdavelasik on Mar 4, 2009 22:18:16 GMT -5
Woefully inadequate. So to protect the victim and the accused, staff is "shadowing" (watching) them at all times. I'm sure that's great for their psyches. And what about the emotional issues? Is it too hard to imagine that the very sight of the accused is enough to make the victim upset? Or the fact that they are probably interacting with some of the same kids, who may then relate comments back and forth? Get the accused kid to another middle school. Period. Nice to see we finally get a message from the SB members, however at this point they have no choice but to put something out there (so no kudos from me - sorry). I just hope that the Pfifer family can get the support from our district that they so much need and deserve. I agree that this type of letter should have been sent MONTHS ago. Hopefully things will begin to turn around with resolving this issue and getting the remaining child (which I hear was the primary offender) out of Gregory!
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Post by WeNeed3 on Mar 5, 2009 8:01:47 GMT -5
School board details steps on Gregory matterMarch 5, 2009 By TIM WALDORF twaldorf@scn1.com State Rep. Darlene Senger failed to win approval Wednesday of proposed legislation that would allow school districts to remove from school students charged with felonies and awaiting legal proceedings, and place them in alternative school programs. Back in Naperville, the Indian Prairie School District 204 board took the opportunity to outline, in the absence of such a law, what its administrators have done to handle the unfortunate situation. It did so in an e-mail message sent Wednesday evening to District 204 parents. In the e-mail, the board members said that, upon learning of the situation, the first questions they posed to administrators were about student safety. "We learned of the many additional steps the school took beginning last November, starting with separating students so they would not be in classes together," read the e-mail. "The school's plan assigned additional staff to shadow students during all non-class time, including passing periods and addressed areas such as restroom use and locker locations." The board members stressed that these steps were taken immediately after the alleged assault occurred. They also asserted that, for three-plus months, this plan provided the same sort of protection the alleged victim recently secured in a civil no-contact order that requires the students to stay 100 feet apart. "While we are confident the plan the school has in place provides a safe environment for students, it does not address the emotions felt by family members or the community over the serious allegations in this case," the e-mail states. "We want the community to know that we understand the emotions connected to this issue. We volunteer our time because we care about the children in our community and want to do what is best for all our students." The board again mentioned its plans to meet Friday with the families of both the alleged victim and the alleged attacker who remains enrolled at Gregory. It also mentioned the time it has already spent working with the various parties involved to investigate the incident. "We recognize there are areas that could have been handled differently, but we are committed to moving forward in a way that will best serve the families involved in this incident as well as our community," the e-mail said. "We are using lessons learned from this experience to review and evaluate our policies and procedures related to student discipline and are committed to improving them wherever possible." The e-mail was signed by new board President John Stephens, and board members Jeannette Clark, Curt Bradshaw, Cathy Piehl, Alka Tyle and Chris Vickers. Mark Metzger, who resigned as board president Tuesday in the wake of the admitted "inappropriate e-mail" he sent to board members, district officials and the victim's father, has recused himself from discussing or acting on this matter The parents of the alleged sexual assault victim could not be reached for comment. www.suburbanchicagonews.com/napervillesun/news/1461588,D204-board-details-steps_na030409.article
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Post by momto4 on Mar 5, 2009 14:48:33 GMT -5
Here is a message to the Gregory community from the principal.
Hello Pioneer Parents,
For the past several months we have been working with many Gregory families that have been affected by a situation that occurred in our community. We have done our best to return every phone call or email and meet with parents that have entered our building with inquiries in an effort to assure our families that all of your children’s education and safety are our number one priority. From the instant we were made aware of this incident we responded as administrators and as parents of middle school age children. We cannot divulge all of the details that encompass this situation due to confidentiality issues, but we would like to further clarify some information regarding the alleged assault involving our students that happened off school grounds.
In an effort to help answer many questions, I'd like to provide a brief timeline and an outline of some of the measures we have taken to ensure the safety and academic success of the students involved in this incident, as well as all of our students.
Tuesday, November 11: Alleged incident takes place at a private residence. School is not in session.
Wednesday, November 12: All students involved in alleged incident attend school.
Thursday, November 13: School administrators are made aware of the incident for the first time. A team of Gregory staff members develops and begins implementation of a plan to ensure the continued safety and academic success of all Gregory students. The plan includes: provisions for separating the students and locker locations; altering student schedules, hallway traffic patterns, restroom use, cafeteria seating and interaction; determining appropriate bus routes, and increased supervision at all times.
Administration discovers information of an in-school physical altercation between two of the students. The in-school incident is investigated and appropriate student discipline measures are taken.
February 20: One alleged assailant chooses to attend another school outside of District 204 within the boundaries of the guardian.
The school is informed that the remaining two families have agreed to a court order regarding the conditions of interaction between the students. Administrators review the court's directive to the students and determine that the plan they put into place in November already meets the order.
While the above does not provide all the details, I hope it helps explain the sequence of events and the action taken by Gregory staff. Throughout this incident, I have directed our staff to encourage a student to speak with our administration, social worker, or guidance counselors should they feel the student needs support.
Should you have additional concerns, please contact me at steve_severson@ipsd.org or 630-428-6300. Due to privacy laws concerning minors, I might not be able to provide specifics, but I will do my best to address any additional concerns you may have regarding this situation.
Steve Severson Principal
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Post by eb204 on Mar 5, 2009 16:43:50 GMT -5
Woefully inadequate. So to protect the victim and the accused, staff is "shadowing" (watching) them at all times. I'm sure that's great for their psyches. And what about the emotional issues? Is it too hard to imagine that the very sight of the accused is enough to make the victim upset? Or the fact that they are probably interacting with some of the same kids, who may then relate comments back and forth? Get the accused kid to another middle school. Period. I am not diminishing that what happened was tragic and that there will continue to be emotional issues if these kids stay together. However, to put it in a different perspective, how many "date rapes" occur within this district and then the victim has to continue to go to school with these same people and be exposed to similar comments? In addition, although less tramatic, what about bullying situations that take place on the playground, in locker rooms, etc, that go unsupervised. At least this victim had supervision at all times, which is more than some other victims get. I stand by what I stated earlier, under current policy parameters, this was being handled as best as it could. That's why we need to stop fighting about this or simply agree to disagree and all get focused on getting the current policy changed. Getting behind Senger's bill and finding out how to get that passed should be the focus now. Arguing about it does no good at this point. Focus that energy into changing policy and the law.
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Post by drdavelasik on Mar 5, 2009 16:47:30 GMT -5
Woefully inadequate. So to protect the victim and the accused, staff is "shadowing" (watching) them at all times. I'm sure that's great for their psyches. And what about the emotional issues? Is it too hard to imagine that the very sight of the accused is enough to make the victim upset? Or the fact that they are probably interacting with some of the same kids, who may then relate comments back and forth? Get the accused kid to another middle school. Period. I am not diminishing that what happened was tragic and that there will continue to be emotional issues if these kids stay together. However, to put it in a different perspective, how many "date rapes" occur within this district and then the victim has to continue to go to school with these same people and be exposed to similar comments? In addition, although less tramatic, what about bullying situations that take place on the playground, in locker rooms, etc, that go unsupervised. At least this victim had supervision at all times, which is more than some other victims get. I stand by what I stated earlier, under current policy parameters, this was being handled as best as it could. That's why we need to stop fighting about this or simply agree to disagree and all get focused on getting the current policy changed. Getting behind Senger's bill and finding out how to get that passed should be the focus now. Arguing about it does no good at this point. Focus that energy into changing policy and the law.
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