217 Today: New superintendent of Decatur Public Schools speaks about her priorities and background

217 Today: Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2022

Today’s headlines:

  • A legislative state commission declined Tuesday to extend the school mask mandate rules.
  • The process to appoint a new “watchdog” to keep tabs on Illinois lawmakers hit another snag Tuesday.
  • A new bill would allow investigators at the Department of Children and Family Services to carry and use pepper spray for self defense. The measure comes after the deaths of two DCFS investigators during site visit.
  • Childcare providers have to send children with COVID-19 symptoms home to keep the staff and other students safe according to Brenda Eastham, the director of operations at the Child Care Resource Service in Urbana.

In today’s deep dive, we’ll hear a conversation with Rochelle Clark, the new superintendent of Decatur Public Schools.

217 Today is produced by Farrah Anderson. Reporting today contributed by Tim Shelley, Alex Degman, Maggie Strahan and Emily Hays

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.