42Fifty
Staff Editorial: Amid improvements to inclusivity, more work needs to be done
Over the past few years, the Oswego SD#308 has expended tremendous effort to incorporate more diversity and inclusive practices within the educational system. Through these steps to make the district more accommodating to people of all life paths, some major strides have been made.
Staff Editorial: Let’s focus on prevention, not problems
According to the Illinois School Report Card, 571 incidents were reported in 2023 at Oswego High School. Of those, 244 students received disciplinary action as a result, indicating that many of these are repeated offenses, and 131 of these involved violence or attempted violence. This winter, a variety of conflicts have taken place at OH and ended in fighting or violence. This issue has been a topic of discourse for the district and student body alike. “It’s kind of hard for me to understand because I’ve never really known a school where I kind of have to look over my shoulder 24/7, going to school, I do feel safe but then one small thing will happen and I'm petrified,” said junior Maddie Pope. These issues don’t stem from inherently violent people. Numerous factors play into these conflicts. The struggles of daily life combined with the teen mental health crisis are prevalent triggers. According to the American Psychological Association, the longer effects of COVID isolation also play a potential role, where students were socially isolated during key points in the brain's development. Missing the necessary socialization during this period makes students less likely to understand how to problem-solve and deal with difficult types of social interaction. OH Director of Student Services Patti Marcinko said, “[[Student behavior]] changed in a number of ways, I think there's increased anxiety, increased depression,so it’s that side of things, all things that can play into people's school lives and personal lives."
Opinion: Response needed now to quickly-emerging technologies
The development of artificial intelligence (AI) has been a highly disputed topic since its release. With early software programs such as Grammarly and Google, AI has risen to the forefront of debates in schools. As of publication, SD308 has no stated policy over the use of AI in school, which begs the question: how should AI be regulated in our school? More specifically, how should sites like ChatGPT, and other more advanced forms should be handled in the educational setting?
Staff Editorial: Fixing the attendance problems at OH
Recently, OH rates for chronic absenteeism have been the highest they have ever been in six years, reaching a staggering 37.8% according to the Illinois Report Card from the Illinois State Board of Education. This does not seem too unusual alone, but district and state percentages are at 22.9% and 28.3%, respectively. After COVID ended and the transition back to school started, we saw a massive jump: 17.6% of students were chronically absent in 2021, then 35% of students were chronically absent in 2022. And in almost every measured statistic, we are higher than the state and district levels.
Staff Ed: How do the new SD308 Board of Education members respond to the importance of DEI?
As a student publication, we notice the importance of a strong and cohesive school district, and recognize our responsibility of addressing the issues impacting our students, staff, and community. As a collective staff, we directed our focus to the overarching issues of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in our district. We notice the room for improvement in this area not only from what our staff had to share, but from what other students and staff have shared at public forums. Therefore, this issue is of utmost importance, and we recognize the need for improvement in three areas; DEI of our students, DEI of our staff, and DEI of our education.