The Evanston / Skokie School District 65 district board of education discussed its technological and transport policies during its Committee on Monday from the whole meeting.
The board of directors has also approved its calendar of meetings for the 2025-26 school year. The committee of all meetings will start at 5 p.m. instead of 4:30 p.m., regular meetings will continue to start at 6 p.m. The first meeting of the year will take place on August 4.
Here is what you need to know about the meeting on Monday.
The board of directors discusses the use of student technology
The district should prohibit YouTube access on district devices from the first day of summer, said Elena Cáceres, general director of technology.
She said that work on the use of district technology was underway. More recently, the board of directors approved the directives of artificial intelligence in January.
Cáceres said the educational technology team during the summer will associate teachers to examine all the applications of students to require the study program. The team will also develop a mobile phone use policy for the level of college.
From next year, interior breaks will be an environment without technology, said Cáceres.
The district will also assess the use of technology during periods of free time and lunch during the summer, according to Stacy Beardsley, assistant superintendent of management and performance responsibility.
For families who wish to be more involved in using their students’ technology at home, Cáceres said they could use a safe home to obtain use reports and set limits to the websites to which their students can access.
Mya Wilkins, a member of the board of directors, stressed the importance of implementing strategically technology in educational contexts.
“You must understand technology in our society because it is a tool, it is widespread and because even from the point of view of job preparation, being able to understand certain elements of technology is important,” said Wilkins.
The Transport Department presents political revisions
District 65 transport costs have reached $ 1.1 million in less budget for the year 2025.
The district is required to provide transportation to students who live more than 1.5 miles from their neighborhood school, have transport listed in their individualized education programs, are in foster family or know homelessness.
For the general education population, however, the district can choose the way it offers transport. Currently, transport is offered at level K-5, apart from a road, to drop the college.
The addition of any other bus route will cost $ 80,000 each. Each school has at least two nearby crosspieces. Crossing care spending is about $ 400,000 per year and is expected to increase $ 700,000 per year by the year 2027.
For certain routes, such as those who serve students who live less than 1.5 mile from their school, the district may impose costs.
Wilkins said that having a calendar to make decisions after the end of the structural deficit reduction plan is beneficial in the event that the school composition is changing.
District staff presents a new professional training model for the 2026-27 school year
Within the framework of the collective agreement between the Council of Educators of the District 65 and the District, the Staff Development Committee has planned to modify the District Professional Development Calendar.
Currently, educators participate in the professional development of half-days of half-days and staff meetings on Thursday on two weeks.
The new proposal would change to be a 40 -minute 40 -minute weekly outing. This would limit the time that teachers must stay after school to participate in a 75 -minute professional development event.
The new calendar would take place in elementary, medium and loving schools.
Park School, who supports disabled students, and Joseph E. Hill Early Childhood Center would have four or five days off throughout the year, aligning with other district meetings.
The Committee still determines the best model for the Rice Children’s Center, which serves students for learning and behavioral challenges.
Beardsley said the committee had consulted the Youth and the UNITED opportunity and the McGaw YMCA, and Both could adapt their childcare programming with the district calendar changes.
The proposal comes because the teachers did not think that the current model was the most productive use of time, said Jerry Michel, said an educational coach.
“He really thought of professional learning and making it significant and making this time as powerful as possible,” said Michel.
Any change that the Council, the Administration and the DEC Approves will be implemented for the 2026-27 school year.
E-mail: (Protected by e-mail)
X: @ anavi_52
Related stories: