Pikeland CUSD 10

Teachers in the afternoon mentoring program engaged in parent teacher conference strategies. We are excited to meet with our parents to share students' progress.

The Pikeland New Teacher Mentoring Program offers monthly sessions. Today's topic was preparing for parent teacher conferences. Mentors met with mentees to help them organize their conferences and learn strategies to build partnerships with parents. Conferences are October 8th and 10th.

Pikeland School District has released several informational communications over the past couple of weeks regarding alleged threats within the school district. These releases accurately explain the situations we have been dealing with. In summary, these incidents have been alleged this school year and have been fully investigated in collaboration with the Pikeland Police Department. - Several reports were received of alleged threats that originated on social media involving a “list of targeted schools”. This was investigated and determined to be a rumor and exaggeration in another jurisdiction that posed no risk to Pikeland students. - A high school student was alleged to have made a comment to a fellow student that alleged violence toward another student/students. The school district is following its rules regarding student conduct and the Illinois School Code regarding this incident. The matter was referred to the State’s Attorney’s Office for review of criminal charges. - A Junior High Student was alleged to have made a writing that hinted at violence toward a student/students. The school district is following its rules regarding student conduct and the Illinois School Code regarding this incident. The matter was referred to the State’s Attorney’s office for review of criminal charges. All of these incidents have been able to be fully investigated and appropriate action has been taken. Regarding a threat written on a wall in the boys' bathroom, school district administration and the Pittsfield Police Department immediately started an investigation. We established a timeline throughout the investigation identifying a time range that we believe the threats were written. Unfortunately, the boy’s restroom is a popular spot during the school day, making it tougher to narrow down exactly who wrote it. However, we obtained a search warrant for handwriting samples of each of the subjects that appear to be the most likely suspects based on the investigation. The search warrant was served to the school district and those samples were seized. Those samples and photographs of the writings on the wall were sent to a handwriting comparison expert for review. The Pittsfield Police Department have conducted interviews with dozens of students, reviewed hours of camera footage, served search warrants and continue to actively work the investigation. Officers continued to work the investigation over this past weekend and it will continue into the week. We appreciate and thank the Pittsfield Police Department for all its efforts in the past weeks. Officers have put in dozens of hours of overtime on this case and will continue to do whatever it takes to make sure this case is solved and our students are safe. We are grateful that they continue to conduct the criminal investigation, educate the school district on safety techniques, and provide additional security. We certainly understand the anxiousness surrounding the October 1st date. The Pikeland Police Department will have an increased law enforcement presence and are taking additional steps to do our best to ensure the safety of Pikeland students. Regarding students not attending school on October 1, 2024, parents may report a student’s absence as they would for other school days.

Pikeland is taking bids on a three piece VINTAGE SCOREBOARD from the Pittsfield High School . If interested, please bring sealed bids to the Pikeland Board office at 512 South Madison St., Pittsfield. Sealed bids have been extended to 3:30p.m October 15th, 2024. To view the scoreboard call 217-285-2147 and set up a time.

Pikeland #10 School Community, I wanted to take the time to inform you that this afternoon another student has made a bad decision to write on a bathroom wall, making a reference to Oct. 1. The incident is under aggressive investigation by the administration and the Pittsfield Police Department. We are sending this out to inform and avoid the spreading of rumors via social media. Please talk to your children about how serious the consequences will be if they write or say anything that gives the appearance of a threat.

Since the school year started, there have been numerous rumors of school violence threats sweeping through the hallways of our schools. I wanted to take a few minutes to ease your minds and clear the air. First of all, there have been ZERO credible threats made toward our schools. There have been instances involving students making statements that other students took as threatening. These situations have been investigated and dealt with within the school system. These students must go through a rigorous process to be allowed back into the school system. As to the rumor that a student had a “hit list” of students, I can assure you that no hit list has been found in any of these situations. One student had a list of other students that allegedly bully that student. There’s is absolutely no reason to believe that this student intended any harm. In situations like this, students are required to undergo assessments before they can return to school. There was an incident that involved a student writing a threatening message on a bathroom wall that alleged violence on October 1st. Law enforcement was able to determine a timeline for when the message was written. We gave law enforcement access to our camera footage and law enforcement was able to identify students that were in the bathroom during the timeframe of when the writing was believed to have occurred from a hallway camera. Although this is an active investigation, and certain information cannot be released at this time, I have been insured by law enforcement that there is no threat to our schools on October 1st. At no point has any student been in any danger and there is no student currently in danger. I have total confidence in our law enforcement and school staff. We hear you, and we will provide updates when they are available. We will provide communication involving future safety situations in a timelier manner when we can. Please talk to your student about the seriousness of these threats and rumors. Please report all information regarding threats to school administrators or law enforcement. Explain that spreading rumors, especially through social media, only makes things worse. Explain that reporting things to an adult is the fastest and most efficient way to get help or make the right people aware of the situation.

Pikeland is Taking Bids! We have a three piece VINTAGE SCOREBOARD from the Pittsfield High School up for sealed bids. If interested, please bring sealed bids to the Pikeland Board office at 512 South Madison St., Pittsfield. Sealed bids are due by 3:30p.m. September 25th, 2024. To view the scoreboard call 217-285-2147 and set up a time.

Dear Pikeland #10 School Community, The safety and security of our students and staff will always be our top priority at Pikeland CUSD #10. Over the past several days, our district has partnered with law enforcement to investigate reports of threats regarding violence made by students in the district, and rumors of state and national threats circulating on social media that have, unfortunately, become a viral trend. Law enforcement have assured us that the investigations have shown that the reported incidents were not credible threats to our students. Appropriate disciplinary and legal protocols have been implemented for those involved in these reports. Many of you are also aware the district conducted specialized training last week for all staff focused on an active shooter scenario. While we hope never to put this training into practice, we believe our staff and local law enforcement are uniquely prepared and ready to respond. We understand that even non-credible threats can cause stress and anxiety. I want to reassure you we are working diligently to maintain a secure environment where learning can continue uninterrupted. I encourage parents to speak with their children about the seriousness of making threats, even if intended as jokes. Such actions can have severe consequences and cause unnecessary fear in our community. If you or your child have any concerns or notice any suspicious activity, please don't hesitate to contact school administration or local law enforcement immediately. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation as we work together to promote a safe and positive educational experience for all. School district administration and law enforcement will be providing presentations to students regarding school safety in the coming weeks, beginning with the Junior High tomorrow morning, Thursday, September 19, 2024. We believe that these sessions will provide needed and valuable information to our students. However, if parents want their student to not participate in these sessions, please contact their building principal. Sincerely, Jo R. Campbell Interim Superintendent Pikeland CUSD #10

The Pikeland Mentoring Program met early this morning with Special Education Directors Mrs. Lisa Jockisch and Dr. Kimberly Dorsey. Participants were engaged in the topic of all things special education. New teachers and their mentors participate in monthly mentoring sessions.

What a great night at South Elementary School! Tonight we welcomed roughly 175 families at Meet the Teacher Night. The line stretched to the street for a solid hour! We loved meeting new families and welcoming back returning Little Braves. Thank you for making tonight a memorable one for the South staff!

ONSITE REGISTRATION WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR PARENTS ON AUGUST 1, 2024. Locations: PHS grades 9-12, PCS grades 3-8, and South grades K-2 Times: Session I- 9:00 a.m.-Noon, Session II- 2:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m. Details: Parents completing Online Registration are not required to attend the onsite event. Pittsfield High School students will register in the Main Office. Pikeland Community School students will register in the PCS Cafeteria. South Elementary Students will register in the South Cafeteria.

It’s almost time for online registration for the 2024-2025 school year! The Online Registration Window opens on July 24, 2024 and closes on August 7, 2024. Visit the District website at www.pikeland.net to get started. Parents and caregivers will want to have emergency contact information handy before starting the process. Parents and caregivers who are new to the District will need to establish a TeacherEase account, see www.pikeland.net for the link, and receive verification before completing the Online Registration forms. Parents will need proof of residency. We can't wait to hear from you!

The Pikeland Board of Education would like to announce the hiring of Dr. Jo Campbell as the interim superintendent for first semester of the 2024-2025 school year. Dr. Campbell has 33 years of experience in education. Since retiring, Dr. Campbell has been an interim superintendent for the following districts: Schuyler-Industry CUSD #5, Canton USD #66, LaHarpe CSD #347 & Dallas ESD #327, Palestine CUSD #3, and Abingdon-Avon CUSD #276. His official start date will be Tuesday, June 25th. The board will continue to work with School Exec Connect, to find a full-time superintendent. We look forward to working with Dr. Campbell and the knowledge and experience he will bring to our district.

Saukee Skills Camp last week brought tons of energy and excitement for our future Saukees!

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In January, Miss Lemons' first grade class started the process of becoming published authors! They brainstormed, researched, wrote rough drafts, revised the drafts, and made illustrations. They sent it back to the company, and the book was published! Miss Lemons was able to raise enough money to purchase a book for every student in the class! A big shout out to all of the boys and girls on their hard work, this book is amazing!

Just a few pictures of some of the super heroes who visited South School on Friday!

Preschool screenings are being held next week!