001Items to be considered at the regular meeting of the Board of Education, Herrin Community Unit School District number four, 500 North 10th Street, Herrin, Illinois at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 28th, 2026. Everyone would please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Mrs. Hastings, if you would please call roll. Don Hutchinson Here. Cindy Atherton Here. Cindy Miller Here. Kelly Green Here. Steve Young Here. Brad Blakey Here. Steve Robinson Here. This time we would recognize anyone who wishes to address the board. Statements are asked to be limited to 5 minutes in duration. When recognized, please state your name. Would anyone like to address the board at
002this time? If not, we'll move forward. Need a motion, a second, and a roll call vote to confirm, accept, and approve the items listed on the consent agenda and not extracted for Tuesday, April 28th, 2026. So moved. Second. Cindy Miller Yes. Don Hutchinson Yes. Kelly Green Yes. >> Brad Blakey Yes. Cindy Atherton Yes. Steve Robinson Yes. Steve Young Yes. Special reports. We will have a in-depth uh video for everybody like we've done in the past, but we want to recognize Mr. Harlow and the Herrin High School math team for their seventh place. Congratulations, that's awesome. So very proud of you guys. Keep up the great work. You're welcome. At this time, I believe our junior high school youth have a presentation for us. Take it over, Miss Kent. >> Good evening, members of the board,
003and thank you for the opportunity to speak. My name is Molly Du Pont, and I'm an eighth-grade member of of the Herrin Junior High Engaging Youth for Positive Change, or EYPC. Tonight, myself and my fellow EYPC members are here to educate on vaping and tobacco and its impact on the youth. Educate on current policies that target this issue at the district and school level, as well as presenting a restorative policy approach that keeps students accountable, supports staff, involves families, and keeps students connected to the school. We appreciate your time and consideration. Who we are. EYPC is a program where students work to create real change in their communities by researching issues, gathering data, and working and working with decision-makers like all of you. Over the past several months, we've focused on vaping and tobacco use
004among among youth here in our school and community. We've already presented to the Herrin City Council to raise awareness about youth access and the impact of vaping. Today, I want to focus on education and why it's such an important part of this issue. Many students don't fully understand what vaping devices are. These are battery-powered devices that turn liquid into an aerosol that is inhaled. They can look like everyday objects and are often designed to be appealing to young people. It consists of a container of liquid solution, a heat source, and a mouthpiece. A battery supplies A battery supplies the energy to vaporize the liquid, which becomes an aerosol, or a cloud of tiny droplets. It is this cloud that people who vape inhale. The minimum age to purchase any tobacco product in the US was
005raised to 21 in 2019. What's inside these products is is also often misunderstood. E-liquids can contain substances like formaldehyde, acrolein, which is also used as a weed killer, and diacetyl, which has been linked to lung damage. There are also a lot of myths. For example, many people believe vaping is just harmless water vapor. But in reality, it contains chemicals and heavy metals. Another common belief is that vaping is safe. While it may differ from cigarettes, it is not safe and can still cause serious harm. This is especially important for middle school students because our brains are still developing until about age 25. Nicotine can affect memory, attention, and impulse control. And addiction can be in quick, sometimes before regular use even starts. This also puts youth who start vaping now at an increased risk for
006future addiction to other substances. This diagram shows how each of these areas of the brain are impacted by nicotine and use and exposure. According to the American Heart Association, vaping can also impact the heart and lungs, increasing heart rate and blood pressure and leading to serious lung conditions. Popcorn lung, collapsed lung, and liquid pneumonia are also very serious health consequences of vaping. It's not just physical health, either. Vaping has also been linked to increased anxiety, depression, and stress in young people. Adolescents who vape are concerningly at an increased risk for suicide ideation, planning, and attempting suicide. Despite all of this, many students are not fully educated on these risks. Our current policy mentions vaping and tobacco and lays out and lays out that it is prohibited to wear clothing endorsing illegal activity. But it focuses
007mainly on consequences rather than education. Education is is important because students are more likely to make better choices when they actually understand the risks, not just when they are told don't do it. We believe that education should be a key part of any policy moving forward. Helping students make informed decisions and avoid harmful behavior before they start. Thank you. Good evening. My name is Lydia Class, and I'm here as a member current member of the UAPC to talk about the impact of vaping on students and our school community. First, we looked at access. You can see in this schematic that here in the area there are 20 tobacco retailers, and 65% of them are within half a mile of our schools and parks. In fact, 60% of schools are within 1,000 ft of a tobacco
008retailer. This shows the that access to these products is very close to where our students live and spend time. But access is only part of the issue. Vaping impacts students in many ways, socially, academically, environmentally, physically, and financially. Students just wanted in the free response section of our survey with concerns about friends of theirs who are vaping and how to navigate this difficult conversation. Students can be excluded from their friends due to poor decision-making and their friends or their families not wanting to be exposed. Students vaping might also be unable to participate in sports and activities due to the health reasons or academic ineligibility. Academics. Reduces productive study time and affects student learning. You also heard from Molly about ways that vaping affects developing developing brains of others. Environmental. Students are encountering vaping in bathrooms,
009buses, social events, and online. There are not many safe, walkable spaces for students to go to on their time. There used to be a bubble tea business in walking distance from HJA Jets. We could go there after school to get a bubble drink or a donut and play board games. It is now shut down on our street. Parent tobacco vaping. Walking to Subway before school activities and on my walk home from near school, I come across many vaping products on the ground. Even though I am not vaping, these effects are widespread in my school town. Health. There is so much to be said about the impact of drug use on one's mental health. As a teen, students who vape can find it mentally draining and cause guilt. Then it may Then it becomes harm a
010harmful cycle of using of using to lower these feelings, but in reality, it is not helping them to cope. Exposure Secondary Secondary exposure exposure to vaping is also very dangerous because of the chemicals contained in a in or produced by e-cigarettes. Financial. Students who are using or selling to other students are investing in things that they may regret rather than things that may be beneficial. In school, this can look like disruptions to learning, students leaving class, safety concerns, and negative peer influence. It also affects the overall school culture. To better understand what's happening, we created an anonymous and optional student survey. About 70% of our student body responded with over 300 responses on some questions. Students shared that vaping affects people around them in serious ways, like lung problems, addiction, anxiety, and financial strain. Many
011students talked about seeing family members struggle or being exposed to vaping regularly. We had students report receiving tobacco products from local businesses, which raised concern about access and enforcement. Here are a few other key findings. 40% said they have seen vaping at school or school events. 71% of students said they know someone their age who has vaped. 96 students said they have been offered tobacco have been offered a tobacco product, and 23 students said they have used tobacco products at least once. 17 reported receiving a consequence at school, and 77 believe vaping is a current issue on our school and community. 75% of students said they believe that education, resources, and support would be would help students who are using tobacco. One of the most important findings is that 40% of students reported having little
012to no education on the effects of vaping. This shows some something important. Students recognize the problem and they want help, not just punishment. Vaping is not just an individual issue, it affects students' learning, health, and the entire school environment. That's That's why how we respond matters. Thank you. Good evening. My name is Hudson Howard and I'm with EYPC here. I'm an eighth grade member. Uh first, we looked into the policy, the current policy right now. The handbook refers students and families to the district policy manual, but that document can be difficult to find and navigate. We recommend making policies more accessible by including direct links in digital versions, so students, families, and staff can easily understand expectations. We also found that the current policy does not fully reflect what actually happens in practice. For example,
013staff already provide support to students and try to avoid immediately using exclusionary discipline, but this is not clearly written in policy. We believe this is an opportunity to improve consistency and clarity by emphasizing a supportive approach across all school schools. This means students are still held accountable, but also supported in understanding and changing behavior. We hope to build on the work that is already being done in the schools to try to combat youth addiction to vaping. With the requirement of reflection and education, there can be more of an impact on the individual student, and ideally, the school community as a whole. We propose an updated handbook language that clearly defines prohibited behavior while aligning with the district policy. most importantly, we recommend implementing a restorative tobacco response, or RTR. This approach focuses on three steps:
014accountability, education and reflection, and repairing the injury. Instead of removing students from school, this process keeps them in the building, accountable, and helps them learn and grow. Students would participate in education about health impacts, reflect on their choices, and create a plan for success moving forward with support from staff and counselor. All reflection, education, and re-entry plan would be completed at school to further reinforce accountability. We also outlined a clear structure. First offenses include education, reflection, and support. Second offenses add a re-entry plan and possible loss of privileges. Repeated offenses may lead to progressive discipline. This ensures accountability while still prioritizing growth. A restorative approach does not remove consequences. It makes them more meaningful and effective. Our goal is to reduce repeat behavior, support student health, and create the strongest school environment. As students, we
015care about our school and want to be part of the solution. We want a school where mistakes lead to learning, not disconnection. This policy keeps students accountable while supporting their growth. Additionally, our recommendations accessing the school board manual ensure easy access to important information for students, family, and staff. We respectfully ask you to consider these changes. Thank you for listening and for supporting student voice. Do you have any questions for our youth based on the presentation that we saw? We will take everything under Mr. Hutchinson? Yes. >> Mr. Eddington? Yes. Mr. Miller? Yes. Mr. Green? Yes. Mr. Young? Yes. Mr. Blakey? Yes. Mr. Robinson? Yes. Need a motion, a second, and a roll call vote to adopt the closed minutes of the meetings held on March 24th, 2026. So moved. Mr. Miller? Yes. Mr. Hutchinson?
016Yes. Mr. Green? Yes. Mr. Blakey? Yes. Mr. Eddington? Yes. Mr. Robinson? Yes. Mr. Young? Yes. Need a motion, a second, and a roll call vote to approve the personnel recommendations as presented for retirement. Jennifer Cravens the intent to retire at the end of the 2029-2030 school year. Kathy Bloodworth to retire December 31st, 2026. Resignations: Britney Moore as a teacher for the elementary school, Taylor Brown as a paraprofessional for the pre-K center, Chris Roberts as a boys golf coach for the high school, Jacob Emling as assistant softball coach for the high school. For employment: Ashley Hall as a cook for the high school, Madison Murphy as an English teacher art I'm sorry, English language arts teacher for the high school, Lacy Gunter as a librarian at Northside Primary Center, Kristi Kelly as a coordinator family educator
017for the pre-K center, Reagan Gilber as a paraprofessional for the district, Tomika Gibbs as a paraprofessional for the district, Ashley Clifton as a paraprofessional for the district, Saraswathi Munusamy as a paraprofessional for the district. Vacancies to be posted: teacher for the elementary school, paraprofessional for the pre-K center, boys golf coach for the high school, assistant softball coach for the high school, and the kindergarten grade level leader for Northside. I'm going to rephrase one statement. The teacher for the elementary school should be posted internally only. So moved. Second. Kelly Green? Yes. Cindy Miller? Yes. Thea Garrett-Dudley? Yes. >> Steve Robinson? >> Yes. >> Brad Lackey? Yes. Steve Young? Yes. John Hopkinson? Yes. Having completed the items on the agenda, I need a motion, a second, and a roll call vote to adjourn until the regular meeting
018of the Board of Education scheduled for Tuesday, May 26th, 2026 at 5:30 p.m. So moved. Steve Young? Yes. Brad Lackey? Yes. John Hopkinson? Yes. Steve Robinson? Yes. >> Kelly Green? Yes. Thea Garrett-Dudley? Yes. Cindy Miller? Yes. Thank you, everybody. Yes.