Larkin principal changes tactics to improve school

Jon Tuin's focus on turning Larkin High around hasn't changed.

But his strategy has, reflecting the often harsh reality of daily life on campus over the past few months.

"Some of the students aren't responding to the freedoms the way I thought they would," said the first-year principal of Elgin's west-side high school.

In recent weeks, Tuin has gotten tough, cracking down on fights, tardiness and pranks that have been rampant at the school.

"Over the last few years, our student issues have increased, and our approach has been to enable students who come from difficult situations. We allow students to get away with behaviors that are destructive to both them and others around them," Tuin wrote in a blunt two-page letter to students and parents last week. "If we are committed to sending more of our students to college ... then we have to expect more."

Larkin's solid reputation has slid steadily in recent years due to gang problems, failing test scores and deep divisions between teachers and administrators.

At the same time, the school has seen more challenges with sharp increases in the number of low-income and minority students, as well as students with disabilities.

Superintendent Jose Torres in January found the environment so toxic that he cleaned house at the campus, firing its principal, along with a dozen department heads.

Tuin, a longtime principal at Willard Elementary School in South Elgin who spent last year as South Elgin High's assistant principal, was selected for the job because he'd bring a fresh perspective to the school, Torres said this fall.

After hiring an almost entirely new administrative staff, Tuin changed around the school's organizational structure and developed plans for raising the number of college-bound students.

The first few school days in August were spent introducing students to a "new Larkin" through a series of assemblies outlining policies and expectations.

For a few weeks, all went well.

"We gave students a lot of freedom at first," Tuin said. "We weren't going to pound on them for not having their IDs. We let them have electronic devices at lunch. We tried to emphasize relationship building."

But as time wore on, "I think some students saw that as opportunities for getting away with stuff."

This fall has seen frequent fights, gang incidents and pranks, including a lunchroom brawl on Wednesday that resulted in nine students being arrested.

"We've definitely had more (fights) than I'm comfortable with," Tuin said.

He said he believes fights often are connected to events happening in the larger community, including the recent death of former Elgin High School student John Keyes III.

Tardiness and truancy have also persisted at an alarming rate. According to Tuin's letter, 42 percent of students are not going to class on time or at all.

Tuin was frustrated. So was his staff.

On Nov. 13, Tuin called a faculty meeting where teachers were able to vent and brainstorm about the fights breaking out at the school. He began e-mailing teachers with the facts about each fight to eliminate the rumor mill.

Turn has also begun rounding up tardy students for punishment; temporarily outlawed the use of electronics from the start of the school day through the end of the day until after Thanksgiving; and increased penalties for fighting and abusive language.

"Respectful behavior, high expectations, safety, connectedness and challenging academics are not nice options. They are critical to our success," he said.

Much work still lies ahead, he said.