At Kankakee School District 111, our commitment to student success begins with ensuring that every classroom is led by a highly qualified, licensed educator. During the 2024–2025 school year, Dr. Lance set a clear and ambitious goal: every student deserves a licensed teacher in every classroom, every day.

The People Services Team embraced this charge with urgency and purpose.

Over the past year, we launched an extensive recruitment effort that reached far beyond our local community. By recruiting locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally, we expanded our candidate pool and attracted talented, mission-driven educators who believe in the promise of our students. Through these strategic partnerships and targeted outreach efforts, we began the school year with all but five teaching positions filled — a significant milestone that reflects the dedication and persistence of our team.

But our work doesn’t stop at hiring.

In January, People Services initiated a comprehensive district-wide licensure audit for all educators. This process is about more than compliance — it provides a holistic view of the strengths, credentials, and endorsements within our current workforce. By understanding the full scope of our staff’s qualifications, we can better align talent to need, support professional growth, and strategically place licensed educators where they are most needed.

This proactive approach also helps us address hard-to-fill vacancies internally, reducing reliance on substitute teachers and ensuring greater consistency and continuity for students.

Simply put, it’s about putting the right educator in the right classroom at the right time.

The People Services Team remains committed to building a strong, diverse, and fully licensed workforce that reflects the excellence our students deserve. We are proud of the progress we’ve made — and even more excited about the work ahead.

In December, Kankakee School District 111 Director of Safety and Security Willie Hunt and Assistant Director Anthony Mason became Certified Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI) Instructors, enhancing the district’s commitment to safety and effective crisis response.

Following their certification, Mason assisted CPI training for the district’s Security Team, focusing on de-escalation strategies, communication, and nonviolent crisis intervention techniques to support a safe and respectful school environment.

“This training strengthens our ability to respond professionally and proactively in challenging situations,” Hunt said.

With in-house CPI instructors now on staff, Kankakee School District 111 will continue expanding safety training efforts to ensure students, staff, and schools remain secure and supported.

Jacqueline Mendez is currently the Kankakee High School Resource Officer with five years of service. She is currently the only female Hispanic in the Kankakee City Police Department. She is responsible for the School Resource Officers duties at the Kankakee School District 111, a juvenile Officer, ALICE trainer certified, CIT certified, the coordinator for the Kankakee Police Hispanic Citizens Academy and Teen Academy, and part of the county’s Emergency Response Team Crisis negotiator team.

Jacqueline Mendez is a Kankakee High School graduate from 2008. She went on to Kankakee Community College to get her Associate’s in Criminal Justice in May 2012. In 2014 she graduated from Western Illinois University with a Bachelor’s in Political Science with a minor in Law enforcement justice administration and Spanish. She is currently enrolled at Governors state University for her Master’s in Public Administration.

Jacqueline has one beautiful daughter, Amarely Hurtado-Mendez (3rd grader in the KSD district).

Willie Hunt

Director of Safety & Security

February has been a month of collaboration, preparation, and refinement across the Special Education Department in KSD 111. As we look ahead to April state assessments, teams are intentionally strengthening instructional supports and ensuring that students are prepared to access testing in ways aligned with their individualized needs.

A key area of focus this month has been on the Department's upcoming walk-through visits in general education classrooms. These walk-throughs are designed to support staff by reviewing how individualized accommodations and modifications are being implemented in authentic instructional settings. The goal is to ensure that supports are meeting each student’s individualized needs while strengthening collaboration between general education and special education teams.

As we move toward spring, our focus remains clear: strong systems, consistent implementation, and student-centered outcomes. We are grateful for the professionalism, reflection, and dedication demonstrated by our teachers, paraprofessionals, related service providers, and administrators. 

Regular, on-time attendance is one of the most important factors in student success—for all students. Currently, our district’s daily attendance rate is 90%, and 34% (1,386 students) are considered chronically absent, meaning they have missed 10% or more of the school year. When students miss school, they miss essential instruction, peer connections, and routines that support both learning and well-being. Even one or two days a month adds up quickly and can significantly impact academic progress.

We need our families’ partnership to improve attendance. Unless your child is truly sick, they should be in school every day and arrive on time. We strongly encourage families to schedule appointments after school hours whenever possible to avoid missing valuable instructional time. Showing up consistently helps students build strong habits, stay engaged, and feel connected to their school community. Together, we can ensure every student has the opportunity to learn, grow, and succeed—starting with being present every day.  Please reach out to your child's school office if you need additional support. We are here to support you anyway we can!

Keeping warm in this winter weather. Please be sure your student leaves the house with layers to keep them warm, including gloves and hats.  On these cold days as they wait for the bus, we want our students to be as warm as possible.

On snowy days, please keep in mind that our buses move a little slower as they navigate the snow covered streets of Kankakee.

If you want to be able to see information about your students route, please download the “My Ride K-12” app here.  https://myridek12.tylerapp.com/login

Call Transportation at 815-802-KBUS (5287) if you have any questions.

The Kankakee Kays Athletics Winter Seasons for 2025-26 have once again demonstrated remarkable success across the district. The KJHS Boys Basketball teams concluded their seasons on a high note, while KJHS Wrestling is gearing up for a strong finish and the KJHS Cheer Squad recently secured third place at the Marian Catholic Invite and setting their sights on the upcoming state competition. 

At KHS, the Wrestling team achieved a commendable third place in the IHSA Regional Competition, successfully advancing six wrestlers to the Sectionals. Boys Bowling finished their recently advancing one bowler to Sectionals and Girls Bowling competing in Regionals this coming weekend. The Kayettess, our competitive dance team, qualified for State competition and will be competing this weekend. The Girls Basketball team boasts an impressive record of 18-6 as they approach the Regionals, while the Boys Basketball team stands at 19-1, ranked 29th nationally and 2nd in the IHSA AP Polls, leading the Southland Conference and looking ready for a potential State Run. As we look ahead, spring sports tryouts are just around the corner, scheduled for late February and early March, with many teams already beginning their conditioning. 

We are thrilled to see numerous senior student-athletes receiving multiple college scholarship offers and making their decisions soon. Additionally, we celebrate Taniya Sherman’s selection to the Illinois Athletic Directors All State Team and Cedric Terrell III’s Honorable Mention recognition.

The Public and Community Relations Department continues its efforts to ensure that student and district events are consistently captured and that monthly celebrations are thoughtfully recognized.

For the month of February, the team created a powerful Black History Month video, with additional highlights to be featured at the District’s Black History event on February 20. The team has been actively documenting strategic planning meetings, athletic competitions, and district-wide events.

In addition, the department is proudly training three AIM High student workers, who have begun gaining hands-on experience by capturing footage at district events and creating images for social media use—providing valuable real-world learning opportunities while amplifying student voice.

Together, this work reflects our ongoing commitment to elevating excellence through clear communication, engaging graphics, and authentic photos and videos that tell our district’s story.