217 Today: How Illinois schools are trying to make truancy less punitive
Recent truancy fines issued by Mendota Police Department. Data obtained by WNIJ through Freedom of Information Act. Peter Medlin/WNIJ
Tuesday, August 22, 2023
Today's headlines:
- Governor J.B. Pritzker welcomed the fall class at the University of Illinois’s Urbana campus Monday, with optimistic words about enrollment and funding.
- The defense in the perjury case against an aide to former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan is focusing on a past Madigan investigation.
- A former midwife at Swedish Hospital on Chicago’s North Side explains why she quit, as the medical center makes major changes for patients.
- Health experts are warning Chicagoans to take precautions now to prevent heat stroke or heat exhaustion.
In today's deep dive, we’ll learn more about how Illinois schools are moving away from a punitive truancy system.
Reporting today contributed by Jim Meadows, Dave McKinney, Kristen Schorsch, Michael Puente and Peter Medlin.