Education and Schools

Molly Allen, who served about six years as assistant regional superintendent, is now regional superintendent. She takes over for Mark Jontry, who retired in April.

McLean County prosecutors said Friday that a 43-year-old Unit 5 junior high school teacher made sexually suggestive remarks to a 13-year-old girl last year. He faces charges of grooming.

Each year, the Illinois Association of School Administrators selects one honoree from each of the state’s 21 regions through peer nominations.

The YWCA of McLean County is ending a nearly 40-year-old program that coordinates volunteers for nonprofit organizations in the community. This comes in the face of changing federal priorities and the Trump administration's campaign against diversity, equity and inclusion [DEI] and its "War on Woke."

The newly elected head of the state’s largest union lives in Bloomington. Illinois Education Association members chose Karl Goeke who had been serving as interim president following the death of IEA president Al Llorens in September.

Unit 5 School Board member Stan Gozur noted four of its schools have mobile classrooms to accommodate overcrowding and two other schools are also at or near capacity.

A veteran McLean County educator is among seven Illinois finalists for the Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Leadership. Winners receive a $10,000 cash prize, split between the educator and their school.

New research showed public schools across the country intentionally evade federal reporting requirements by calling seclusion rooms something else. Students with disabilities, he found, were four times more likely to be restrained or secluded.

Parents of students at Glenn Elementary School have taken their pleas to keep the school as it is to the Normal Town Council. Ideally, they would like to see the council release a statement of support for their cause.

Illinois lawmakers want to increase funding for community schools because of the loss of federal grant money.