On August 24, 2015, Governor Rauner signed into law Public Act 99-456. The Act requires school districts and charter schools to overhaul their discipline policies and is aimed at reducing the incidence of out-of-school suspensions and expulsions. The new requirements take […]
Category: K-12 Education
Boards try their best to avoid it, but you hear about it time and again—aboard goes into closed session and the conversation turns away from the subject matter the board identified in open session as the reason for the closed […]
UPDATED APRIL 2018 The number of residency and homeless disputes is on the rise for school districts. Many find out too late that the information obtained from parents and guardians during the registration and enrollment process is inadequate to support […]
The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) recently updated its Non-Regulatory Guidance on the Performance Evaluation Reform Act (PERA) and Senate Bill 7 (SB 7). Similar to the 2012 guidance, the updated Non-Regulatory Guidance covers a wide range of topics in […]
In April, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) amended its 2010 guidance on self-administration of medication. Specifically, the new guidance document focuses on recent updates to Section 22-30 of the School Code (105 ICLS 5/22-30), which provides for student […]
Model Policy for Purchase: Acceptable Use of Technology
The use of technology in school districts continues to increase and evolve. Districts are using technology to enhance curriculum, replace traditional text books, and communicate with students, parents, and the community. Technology impacts discipline, storage of employee and student records, […]
The Firearm Concealed Carry Act, Public Act 98-0063, which became effective July 9, 2013, contains a new reporting requirement for school principals of which all school districts and private schools should be aware. Under the new “School Administrator Reporting of Mental […]
DCFS: College and University Staff Must Report Suspected Child Abuse
In the wake of the Penn State child abuse allegations, a spokesperson from the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) has stated that DCFS interprets the State’s Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act, 325 ILCS 5/1 et seq., (ANCRA) […]