North Judson-San Pierre students will have new transportation procedures as well as a weighted grading system at the high school, as part of the 2019-2020 student handbooks approved by the school board Tuesday.
One of the big goals is to have more consistency in how students get to and from school, according to Superintendent Dr. Annette Zupin. “What we’re trying to do is eliminate the number of changes that we have,” she explained. “I just want you to know that last Friday, 111 bus changes at the elementary, so it’s not safe.”
Zupin said school officials have been working on the new transportation policy for about a month. “The main thing here is to have a card for transportation where the parents will dictate what is their regular morning and afternoon drop-off, and we want that to stay as consistent as possible and not go away from that,” she said. “If there are emergencies, that can be arranged with the administration, but the key is having that consistent pickup and drop-off.”
She noted that board members had expressed concern with the idea of limiting families to a single pickup and drop-off location, rather than various locations over the course of the week. Zupin said the policy now recognizes that multiple locations may be needed, as long as they’re consistent.
The handbook update will also prohibit students from using the school bus to travel to after-school get-togethers or parties, due to capacity issues and safety concerns. However, next year’s handbook will also make it easier for elementary school students to use an active form of transportation, by creating a designated area for bikes, scooters, and skateboards.
At the junior/senior high school, one of the major changes is the implementation of weighted grades for certain courses, starting with the class of 2023. Other minor changes have to do with the high school cell phone policy, the elementary school discipline plan, eLearning, and other previously-approved policy updates.
