The Apr. 13, 2026, board meeting covered various topics including the updated date for the last day of school, the finalized dates for board meetings during the 2027 school year and changes being made to the student handbook. The board meeting also featured input from the Education Committee and the Human Resource Committee.
The meeting began with Harter Middle School principal Brian Faulkner honoring four boys wrestlers. Coached by middle school teacher Kendall Lawson, sixth grader Charlie Mathews and eighth graders Heston Crouch, Alex Lapitan and James Ripper won the conference championship.
That evening, the Education Committee met to disclose any updates to the board. The Education Committee discussed Individualized Education Program (IEP) and the IEP process and brainstormed ideas on how to allow teachers to have a better use of tools for developing and formulating IEPs. The goal of this is to improve case management and student contact time. The district is attempting to make it simpler to formulate and get information in IEPs for teachers who need it.
The Human Resources Committee also met and discussed following the Education Committee. They talked about the upcoming implementation of Red Rover, which is a software system for teachers to submit absences.
“Its a excellent step forward in modernization,” board member Edmund Koch said.
Superintendent Dr. Kurt Rohlwing explained the purpose of a student representative on the board. Every year, they bring a representative to the board to discuss and approve items that are relevant to the student body. The representative will be a rising senior who is involved in Student Council or a similar student leadership position.
Applications are due May 1, and there will be interviews the following week with the goal of bringing the selected candidate to the board on Monday, May 11, at a regular meeting.
The final version of the 2025-26 school year calendar was updated and approved by the board with additional dates added. The end-of-school date was adjusted due to an e-learning day in January and two emergency days in March. The last day of student attendance is now Thursday, May 21.
The board approved changes for the 2026-27 student handbook. Dr. James Horne gave recommendations that get added on a yearly basis. This is a collaborative effort through a committee, with leadership teams at various levels of schools in the district and under the guidance of Rohlwing. .
At the high school level, there will be changes to the tardy policy. More responsibility will be put on older students than younger ones.
“If a middle school student is arriving late for school because they’re getting dropped off late, that’s going to be different than if a 17-year-old is driving himself or herself late,” Horne explained.
At the high school, it is very much about getting the students in on time because, as they prepare to graduate, it’s vital they show up on time for their future careers. Tardy rates are still doing better when compared with last year. The high school has taken steps to ensure students are showing up on time. One natural consequence is that they confiscate coffees as students are walking in late, which has been effective in encouraging students to show up on time.
Parameters around dress codes cause a bit of conflict as it’s a sensitive topic. Kaneland made updates to the handbook that opened up possibilities for what students can choose to wear. Horne is giving recommendations to the board on areas where they can tighten up rules. He wants gender neutral language because part of the reason for the changes in the handbook are because the language was disproportionately targeting females. Many schools are moving this direction, not just Kaneland. The district wants to give expectations for what professional dress looks like for students. The previous handbook policy allowed for midriffs that led to students showing up in sports bras. There was no language in the handbook to prohibit that type of dress during the school day.
There are now outlines of things that need to be covered and an illustration as an example for school disciplinarians to guide conversations. No rulers or fingertips will be used, but a guide about what needs to be covered should prove helpful. In the image, the entire torso is covered, including midriffs and shorts. Buttocks are used in the language, as many shorts are coming out that students are wearing with their backends showing.
The district wants to make sure that they’re setting up students for success and setting the right tone for how students are to be dressed. This may cause some students to be upset, but these changes have been collaboratively created with teachers and student leadership groups, and they want to make sure that these policy changes are eased into conversations with students when needed.
Changes to certain library policies and procedures were also introduced. . The timeline to check out books will be 10 days before it is considered overdue. Once a book is marked as missing, it does go on the student’s account to indicate that it needs to be replaced. If a student returns the book in usable condition by the end of the school year, librarian Hope Paskus will take away the fee. The goal is to keep tabs on inventory and still encourage students to check out and read books.
Rohlwing then shared an overview of student accomplishments. Kaneland High School placed fourth in the Interstate 8 conference for art. Last weekend, the Kaneland High School theater program performed “Mamma Mia!” and had strong attendance for all three days of the show.
“In case you didn’t get the chance to see it, it was really good,” Rohlwing said. “The performance was fantastic. It was a great show. I was really proud of our students and how well they showed off their incredible talents.”
At the end of the meeting, senior and student representative Sophia Schroll spoke about the week students returned to school from spring break. Over the break, the varsity softball and baseball teams traveled to Myrtle Beach, SC, and Panama City, FL. On Friday, April 10, the boys track team competed and had seven new events make the school’s top 10 list. The 4×200 relay team broke the school record with a 1 minute and 35 second relay time. The Kaneland girls track team celebrated their senior night on Saturday, April 11, where seniors were honored before all the events began. The girls soccer and softball teams will celebrate their senior night on Monday, April 27. Student Council hosted a whole school assembly on Friday, April 10, to celebrate and promote their upcoming event, Relay for Life. Relay for Life is an event where students celebrate cancer survivors and help raise money for cancer research. This event will take place on Friday, May 8, on the football field. The Kaneland Krier had multiple students compete in Sectionals this past Saturday morning. On Monday, the Kaneland Youth Advisory Board traveled to Genoa Kingston High School for a student swap. Last Thursday, students from Genoa Kingston came to Kaneland to experience a day as a Kaneland student.
The board members decided that at the next meeting, they would like to discuss an update on grant funding. The next board meeting will be on Monday, April 27.
