District 65 to Close Bessie Rhodes Grades 7-8 Earlier than Planned

District 65 has announced the closure of the 7th and 8th grade sections at Bessie Rhodes School, effective November 15, due to staffing challenges and concerns over providing a comprehensive educational environment. I’ve copied the letter sent to parents below.

Feel free to discuss in the comment section. I have a paper deadline on Monday so I won’t be commenting or moderating as I normally do, so be nice to each other.

Dear Bessie Rhodes Families,

While we hope your school year has been off to a good start, we recognize that the first month has been challenging for both our 7th and 8th grade communities. As you know, we have had difficulty staffing for several key positions and have been extremely grateful for the care of our educators and for your patience in helping each day to go as smoothly as possible for our students.

In collaboration with the Bessie Rhodes leadership team, we have made a very difficult decision; however, one we ultimately believe is the best educationally for our students. At the conclusion of the first trimester (November 15), we will close the 7th and 8th grade sections at Bessie Rhodes. At this time students will transition back to their attendance area middle school. We have put a significant amount of thought into this decision and care to ensure a smooth transition over the next six weeks.

With this news, we know that there will likely be a range of emotions for both your child and your family. We recognize the desire to stay at Bessie Rhodes to finish middle school. However, approximately 20 children per grade level and a limited team of educators do not provide the consistent, well-rounded learning environment that our students need and deserve as they prepare to enter high school. We are partnering closely with our Bessie Rhodes educators and leadership team to support a smooth transition for students.

We know this is a lot of news to take in at this time. We are hosting a zoom call for all 7th and 8th grade families on Thursday, October 17, at 6pm (Zoom Meeting Link). We will share more about how we will support students and families through this transition. We have planned a number of opportunities for students and families to be welcomed into their new school and get to know other students, educators, and administrators. Additionally, we have plans in the coming weeks for supporting students while they remain at Bessie Rhodes.

As a part of this transition plan our Students Services team will contact families of students who have an Individualized Educational Service Plan (IEP) and/or receive English language programming support in the upcoming weeks.

Additionally our registration team will reach out to provide homeschool assignments and other important information. Please know we are here to support your family and hope you will join us tomorrow evening. We also welcome you to schedule an individual meeting virtually or in-person with Dr. Charmekia McCoy, Chief of Academics and Schools Management (mccoyc@district65.net), or Dr. Katie Speth, Assistant Superintendent of Instructional Leadership (spethk@district65.net). 

Thank you for your continued partnership.

Dr. Angel Turner (she/her)
Superintendent