Carthage Elementary School District #317 has announced its ongoing efforts to support families as technology becomes more integrated into education and daily life. The district is highlighting Common Sense Media’s Family and Community Engagement (FACE) program as a key resource.
FACE is designed to help schools provide parents and caregivers with accessible information about healthy technology use. The program offers family resources, parent webinars, and professional learning opportunities that can be shared directly with families. It also allows schools to connect with other educators and advocates for sharing ideas and support.
According to the district, “The best part is that the program is free. Members complete a few short surveys during the year so Common Sense Media can continue improving the resources for families.”
Families interested in learning more or participating are encouraged to visit commonsense.org/face.
Carthage Elementary School District 317 serves Hancock County and includes Carthage Middle School and Carthage Primary School, providing education from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. In the 2019-2020 school year, enrollment was 456 students (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/). The district spent $13,399 per student in 2020, totaling $6,109,921 (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/).
Demographically, the district is composed of approximately 94.5 percent White students, with smaller percentages of Black (0.4 percent), Hispanic (2.9 percent), and Asian (1.1 percent) students (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/).
Staffing data shows there are 25 teachers in the district with an average salary of $44,812 before pension contributions; 84 percent are women and 16 percent are men. No teachers had more than ten absences in a school year (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/).
The Illinois State Board of Education reports that Carthage Elementary had no chronically truant students in the 2020 school year—a chronic truancy rate of zero—compared to a statewide average of 9.6 percent (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/).
The district stated its commitment: “We are excited to continue sharing tools that help our students succeed both in school and in their digital lives.”
