LF_040518

LakeForestLeader.com NEWS
the lake forest leader | April 5, 2018 | 3
Lake Forest District 67 Board of Education
National School Walkout Day continues to be key topic
Katie Copenhaver
Freelance Reporter
Superintendent Mike
Simeck’s started the recent
District 67 meeting by
talking about the March 14
National School Walkout,
which Lake Forest students
participated in.
He noted that it might
not have seemed like a big
deal to have students walk
out of schools for 17 minutes,
but rather it was “an
extraordinarily complex
undertaking.”
At the March 20 meeting,
Simeck said that district
administration sought legal
advice before the walkout
to be sure the schools were
properly prepared.
The advice they received
centered around eight
points of preparedness,
which Simeck was pleased
to report the schools had
already done. These included
being proactive,
coordinating with local law
enforcement, developing a
plan for students who did
not choose to participate
and communicating with
parents and students about
what to expect on the walkout
day.
He also took the time to
address a few frequently
asked questions that had
come to district administration
in advance of the
March 14 event.
The first question was
whether students have free
speech while at school. The
answer to that, he explained,
is in the key of the Supreme
Court case of Tinker vs. Des
Moines, 1965. The case
focused on students who
came to school one day
wearing black armbands
in protest of the Vietnam
War, and they were either
sent home or were expelled.
The Supreme Court ruled
in favor of the students
and said students do have
First-Amendment rights at
school but “they are limited
by the level of disruption
their speech creates.”
Another question was
whether staff have free
speech at school. The answer
from the National
Education Association, the
largest teachers’ union in
the United States, is no.
Their guidelines state that
teachers are not free to
speak politically while on
school grounds or while
working on school time.
Simeck also reported that
the annual National School
Climate Survey is currently
being administered within
the district. Participation
from staff and students is
strong while participation
from parents continues to
be a struggle.
“We are somewhere at
or near the single digits [in
percentage of parent participation],”
he said, acknowledging
the main complaint
they got from parents was
the survey is time consuming
and seemingly repetitive
in the questions it asks.
Liaison Reports
Board Member Tom
Ford, who serves as the
district’s legislative liaison,
reported on activities of the
Illinois General Assembly.
“Discussions continue
both in public and behind
closed doors on the hot topics
of school safety, teacher
shortages and the Fiscal
Year 2019 state budget,”
he said. “Despite those
most pressing topics facing
public education today,
lawmakers continue with
the onslaught of proposals
that would place new, burdensome
mandates on local
school districts.”
He said lawmakers are
talking of adding instruction
in emotional intelligence,
civics, historic contributions
of gay, lesbian,
bisexual and transgendered
people, safe walking and
biking, computer science
and black history. They are
also proposing new staff
training requirements in
suicide prevention, mental
health, homelessness
awareness, students with
special needs and open water
safety training. In addition,
there are discussions
of new trauma protocols
and trauma response plans
for school administrators.
“All of these things are
fantastic,” Ford said. “But
how to pay for them and
how to fit them in a day
are going to be decided
in Springfield, and we’re
looking forward to what
they are going to come up
with.”
Board Member Suzanne
Sands reported on the
March 14 North Suburban
Special Education District
meeting she attended. In
February, she told the D67
Please see D-67, 10
405 Park Lane LAKE BLUFF
OPEN SUNDAY, APRIL 8TH
1:00—3:00 PM
Suzie Hempstead
847.910.8465
shempstead@koenigrubloff.com
SuzieHempstead.com
Exceptional value in Lake Bluff. This 4 bedroom, 2.5 bath home checks all your
boxes. Highlights include custom great room addition with dramatic vaulted
ceiling, skylight, floor-to-ceiling windows and doors. 2nd-floor addition of
2 very large bedrooms with walk-in closets and separate 10 x 6 foot closet.
Extra-large 25 x 10 foot master bedroom. Updated master bath has double
sinks, separate shower with seat, bubbler tub and heated towel rack. Spacious
kitchen with new appliances and cabinet hardware opens to family room.
Classic in design are the living and dining rooms with built-in bookcases,
picture window, and fireplace. Cabinets/closets galore. Partially-finished
basement with fireplace and wet bar. Lush landscaping with tons of perennials.
Outside entertaining areas include brick paver patio and
pergola with lighting and garden shed with electricity.
Property is fenced. $649,000
405ParkLn.KOENIGRUBLOFF.COM
778 N. WESTERN AVENUE | LAKE FOREST, ILLINOIS 60045 KoenigRubloff.com
©BHH Aliates, LLC.