Peter Medlin
Peter joins WNIJ as a graduate of North Central College. He is a native of Sandwich, Illinois.
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More schools than ever give students computers and tablets. They're also surveilling their online ac“The internet allows us to connect to a lot of really great important information, and kids are less likely to access it if they know that they're being surveilled," says Cody Venzke at the Center for Democracy & Technology. But school technology officials say the benefits outweigh the concerns.
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State Superintendent of Education Carmen Ayala says student growth slowed dramatically during the first years of the pandemic. But in 2022 it bounced back and student growth was -- on average -- even slightly faster than it was in 2019.
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“Some of [the concerns] were very silly, but some of them were things I wouldn't know unless I was getting out there and involved. Like, they're speaking to me about their lunch period. I think it's about 30 minutes and if you're a child who's at the end of lunchtime, you only get like three minutes for recess. And I'm like, that's an inequity!”
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One rural school needs a science teacher. The other can't offer AP classes. Leaders say combining into a brand-new district could solve both problems and more. It would be the first consolidation in five years.
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They came to the conclusion that the word is a racial slur and its use should not only be retired at the school but also that use of the word is a violation of the student handbook that prohibits derogatory slurs.
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Schools don't have enough short-term teachers to fill in the gaps. School districts in Illinois are now holding one-day online training to get short-term subs, even ones without teaching backgrounds.
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“I said, ‘Hey, there might be a chance that we might not come back in person.’ I just wanted to let them know," said 3rd-grade teacher Jorge Alfaro.
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'A person, as well as a priceless antiquity': the only public high school with a 2,000-year-old mummLearn more about how the 2,000-year-old mummy got there, who it was and what the school has been doing with her all these years.
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The deadline to meet the mandate was pushed back several weeks to allow teachers to get a shot or find regular testing.
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Illinois high schools will soon be required to offer media literacy classes. This school is already teaching the skills across every class.