Superintendent's Welcome Letter:

Welcome to the Herscher Community Unit School District #2 website!  It is an honor and privilege to serve as Superintendent.  I truly appreciate the spirit, cooperation and assistance I have received from the school community thus far.

My philosophy for student success focuses on communication with all stakeholders, shared decision-making, customer service, excellent student behavior and mutual respect.  I hope you will visit our website often for information about Herscher C.U.S.D. #2.  By working together with students, parents, faculty, and the community, I am confident that we will celebrate many successes throughout the year(s).  I hope to continue to build positive culture in our schools and to provide the strongest academic and extra-curricular program(s) in the area.

Sincerely,

Dr. Richard S. Decman, Superintendent

COMMUNITY SAFETY NOTICE

December 6, 2011

Dear Parents/Guardians,

We have been notified by the Kankakee County Health Department that they are investigating a positive case of pertussis in the Momence School District. There is currently an outbreak of pertussis in several northern Illinois counties as well. Children in the Herscher School District may have been exposed to this case.  The information below was sent to the Herscher Community School District #2 by the Kankakee County Health Department today. 

“Pertussis is an illness that is commonly known as “Whooping Cough”.  Symptoms usually appear five to ten days after exposure, but can take as long as twenty one days. The first symptoms are similar to those of a common cold: a runny nose, sneezing, low-grade fever and a mild, occasional cough. The cough gradually becomes severe and, after one to two weeks, the patient has spasmodic bursts of numerous, rapid coughs. The characteristic high pitch “whoop” comes from breathing in after a coughing episode. During such an attack, the patient may turn blue, vomit and become exhausted. Between coughing attacks, the patient usually appears normal.

Most children are vaccinated against Pertussis at 2, 4, 6, and 15 months and another dose at 4 to 6 years old. The vaccine is given in the same shot with diphtheria, and tetanus vaccines (Dtap). Close contacts younger than 7 years of age who are not immunized or who have received fewer than 4 doses of pertussis vaccine should have pertussis immunization initiated or continued according to the recommended schedule. Also, if an adult has not had a booster of Tdap, Adacel or Boostrix, they should contact their physician regarding getting this immunization.

We are requesting your help in identifying possible cases of pertussis in children in our schools.  If your child has the above clinical symptoms-please advise and/or seek medical care for your child. The doctor will make the determination as to what course of treatment is needed.  The doctor may choose to vaccinate and/or provide an antibiotic.  Please contact your respective school, so we can document the names of children with possible symptoms for purpose of follow up if needed.”

The safety of all our students in the Herscher District #2 is our first priority and I encourage you to be proactive by contacting your doctor if your child has any of the above symptoms.  If should have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the schools or the Kankakee County Health Department.

Sincerely,

Dr. Richard S. Decman
Superintendent, Herscher CUSD #2

Cancel School or Not?

Cancelling school is one of the more difficult decisions a Superintendent must make.  The decision to delay, dismiss early or close schools due to inclement weather has an enormous effect on all of our families.  The following information may help you understand the process I use when making this important decision.

When inclement weather impacts the District, I make the decision to dismiss, delay or close schools based upon a careful analysis of the following factors:

1. Information on road conditions from: law enforcement, our transportation director and local road commissioners.
2. Amount of accumulated snow and/or ice, or the density of the fog.
3. Whether or not the precipitation/fog is predicted to continue throughout the day.
4. Temperature and wind chilll.
5. Impact on our transportation (buses).
6. Weather predictions from satellite system, local radar and National Weather service.
7. Storm/fog timing.
8. Discussions with area Superintendents beginning the prior evening and continuing again around 5pm

There may be times that you believe we should have cancelled or school should have been in session.  Unfortunately, due to the size of our district (over 250 square miles), it is very difficult to determine when it is safe for school to be in session.  For example, if you live in Limestone, conditions might be fine but in Reddick they may be terrible.  The final decision on whether to cancel school or not is based upon the overall condition of the District.

If you do not feel it is safe for your child to get to school, use your best judgement as to whether he/she should attend.  Please call your respective school office and let them know.

Who makes the decision on whether to delay, dismiss early or cancel school?  As the Superintendent, I am tasked with this responsibility.

When is the decision made? I will make every attempt to cancel school by 6 am or the previous night, so we can initiate the CALL ONE program, notify local radio stations, initiate our internal phone trees and notify TV stations.  If a school day is delayed or dismissed early, the same contacts will be notified.

Will we close school if conditions worsen (early dismissal)? If weather conditions worsen, I will be reluctant to dismiss early.  If I send students (especially younger students) back home, some will return to empty houses.  Once students arrive at school, I feel the safest plan is to keep them at school until the end of the day.  However, there may be a time we will dismiss early, in order to get students home before a storm worsens.  I am hoping this will be a rare occasion.  If this does happen, we will utilize the CALL ONE system immediately to notify parents.

I hope this explanation helps you understand the process we go through when considering whether or not to cancel school.

Dr. Richard S. Decman
Superintendent

Parent Notification Regarding No Child Left Behind (NCLB)

Under No Child Left Behind a parent has the right upon request to the following information:

1. Whether the teacher has met the state qualification and licensing criteria for the grade levels and subject in which the teacher provides instruction.
2. Whether the teacher is teaching under emergency or provisional status.
3. The teacher's baccalaureate degree major and other degrees.
4. Whether paraprofessionals provide services to the student and if so, their qualifications.

If you have any questions, please contact Jennifer Edmonds at 815-426-2162 ext 1010 or Sally Sullivan
at 815-426-2162 ext 1016.