Rockford Public Schools

The new school year begins at Rockford Public School on Thursday. But with it comes some last-minute schedule changes that are leaving some frustrated.

Students everywhere failed more classes during the pandemic. Some students try to make it up in the summer. We’re going to summer school.

In the 2019-20 school year, 10% of all Rockford Public Schools students were considered homeless under the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. That’s 2,800 students. For comparison, there were more Rockford students considered homeless than total students in the Dixon School District.

Last week, police in 19 Illinois counties received false school shooting threats, known as swatting, on the same day.

A growing number of schools are “growing-their-own” teachers as a solution to staff shortages. WNIJ’s Peter Medlin reports on a new initiative to “grow-your-own” principals too.

The state’s 3rd-largest district knew it was suspending way too many students. Has a new code of conduct made a difference?

We revisit our 2021 chat with Jeff Pitner. He’s a psychology teacher and esports coach at Guilford High School in Rockford. We talked about building that community and how his psychology classes have evolved as he’s learned about restorative justice.

Three contested races for the Rockford Public Schools 205 are on the ballot this spring. Election Day is April 4th and early voting is underway. WNIJ surveyed the six candidates in those races on 13 questions around education in Rockford -- the state’s third-largest school district.

WNIJ will be holding several Q&As with candidates running for the Rockford School Board,Do you have questions for the candidates? Submit them right here.

Half of the kids who go to Lewis Lemon Elementary School in Rockford can’t take a bus to school. Especially in the cold months of winter, many of those students don’t make it to school at all. WNIJ’s Peter Medlin reports on a community member trying to help…