The Clinton City Schools administration told the school board it will stop assigning ES/N letter grades for elementary special-area classes (art, music, physical education and library) and instead provide comment fields for teachers to communicate strengths or practical notes to parents.

Administration said the change followed internal discussions and that the district will still provide a platform for special-area teachers to note student strengths or items parents should know, such as overdue library books or required shoes for gym class.

The board also heard that, as required by state law effective July 1, the district will include a universal reading screener score on the elementary report card. The district uses the Ames Webb screener; the administration said the report card will show a student's overall reading composite percentile and will indicate if a student qualifies for an Individual Learning Plan for characteristics of dyslexia (ILPD). The administration said parents of students with ILPDs had already been notified and signed the plans earlier in the year.

Operational updates included a delay in laying the poured-playground flooring at Clinton Elementary pending arrival of part of an order; cafeteria manager Jessica reported a 29% increase in breakfast participation and a 26% increase in lunch participation compared with September 2024; and the district reported that Syntegix (the crisis alert badge vendor) moved to an annual-fee pricing structure but created a new small-school scale after district advocacy to reduce per-building charges.

The Education Foundation's Clinton 5K and related grants were also highlighted: several teachers received instructional grants this year and the foundation's events raise funds for health and wellness and instructional grants.