SMARTplainfield

10/11/2026

So many wonderful people to work with. Thank you, principals, for giving it your best every day.

October is National Principals Month, and we’re giving our principals their flowers!
Being a principal means wearing a lot of hats.

On any given day, they’re welcoming students at the door, checking in on classrooms, supporting teachers, talking with families, celebrating student wins, working through challenges, answering countless questions, and making decisions, big and small, that keep their schools moving.

And somehow, tomorrow they get up and do it all over again.

This month, we recognize the principals across Plainfield Public Schools who show up each day for their students, staff, and school communities. We know the work isn’t always easy, and much of what you do happens quietly and behind the scenes.

Principals, we see the work. We appreciate the commitment. And this month, we celebrate you.

Happy National Principals Month to our PPSD school leaders.

10/11/2026

I agree! The security guards and custodians that we meet during LunchBoox school visits are always helpful and supportive of our day's mission--offering books to Plainfield Public School students. Thank you one and all!

10/11/2026

What a great read on this gloomy day.

10/08/2026

New venue for BOE meeting this Tuesday!

The Plainfield Board of Education will host its October Business Meeting on Tuesday, October 13, at Plainfield High School, 950 Park Avenue, beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Community members are encouraged to attend and stay informed about the work and priorities shaping Plainfield Public Schools.

Zoom Meeting Information (for viewing and public comment):
Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83380244564
Meeting ID: 833 8024 4564
Passcode: 111333
YouTube: https://youtube.com/live/_1wiJtZni0Q?feature=share

10/04/2026

TONIGHT’S FORUM CANCELLED.
Board of Education Candidates Forum is this Thursday, October 8, 2026, in person only, at Hubbard Middle School, 661 W. 8th Street, Plainfield, at 7pm.

09/21/2026

08/30/2026

LunchBoox went to the latest Hubbard Middle School Meet and Greet where we gave away 167 books to some eager readers. While there, we learned some very good news from Principal Olivia Rodriguez-Calderon. Since 2021:

* Student attendance has risen nearly 17%. They are a hair's breath from reaching the state goal of 90%.

* Staff attendance has gone from 82% to 94%.

* And 24 students have become so proficient in English that they no longer need special language services. This amazing achievement, she says, is "a testament to their hard work, the support of their families, and the dedication of our staff."

08/29/2026

Is Big Tech using Plainfield students as guinea pigs in their A.I. products sold to school boards?

This experiment in A.I. use on students reminds me of a similar experiment on Black men that ended in the 1970s. It was called the Tuskegee syphilis experiment. Consent to participate was never collected . . . not from the men back then and not from students or parents now.

This article reports what happened when a community went to the trouble to compare student learning before and after A.I. classroom use and what other communities might do to prevent similar results.

Every minute of delay in regulating A.I. use in schools is another opportunity for Big Tech to fill the vacuum.

08/20/2026

Warning: This episode of my favorite education podcast HAVE YOU HEARD looks at how the proposed voucher program will benefit the rich. . . . Listen and weep.

Waste, fraud and abuse. That’s how education policy expert Jon Valant characterizes the new federal voucher program that was tucked into Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill last year. Valant walks us throu

06/27/2026

At the PIECES meeting of preschool administrators last month, I heard some good news. Most 4-year-olds are ready for kindergarten. Almost 2 out of 3 recognize upper and lowercase letters, and 76% can identify numbers.

When you consider that learning to read is one of the most difficult things humans ever do, you get a glimpse of the hard work both students and teachers have devoted to the effort.
Congratulations to all!