217 Today: How Illinois schools are trying to make truancy less punitive

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Recent truancy fines issued by Mendota Police Department. Data obtained by WNIJ through Freedom of Information Act.
  • Photo: 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.

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Farrah Anderson

Farrah Anderson is a 2024 graduate of the University of Illinois. At Illinois Public Media, Anderson works as a general assignment reporter focusing on police and investigative stories.