To insure that communication devices (e.g. cellular phones, PDAs) will not be a disruption to the educational setting, the Board of Education created the preceding policy to provide guidance to those students that choose to bring a cell phone to school. The Board of Education clearly states in policy 7:190, #10, that during the school day, on the bus, and during any school sponsored activity, cellular phones, "must be powered off, out of sight, and off the student’s person."
Using cell phones during school hours is disruptive to the school environment and impacts student learning. Texting can result in students sharing test information and answers. It allows students to socialize when they should be paying attention to instruction. When a cell phone is taken, parents will be required to pick the phone up in the Principal’s Office. Chronic offenders may be suspended from school as stated in the Board policy.
Cell phones are not allowed on field trips and/or educational tours such as 6th Grade Outdoor Education, 7th Grade Springfield, and 8th Grade Washington, D.C., trips. Possession of a cell phone or device that can access the Internet will result in an automatic 3 to 10 day suspension. If an 8th grader brings a cell phone on a field trip or educational tour they will receive an automatic 3 to 10 day suspension and removal from graduation ceremonies.
(Board of Education Policy 7:180)
Bullying, intimidation, and harassment diminish a student’s ability to learn and a school’s ability to educate. Preventing students from engaging in these disruptive behaviors is an important District goal. The Superintendent or designee shall develop and maintain a program that implements and enforces Board policies regarding bullying, intimidation, or harassing behavior.
This policy prohibits any person from harassing or intimidating a student based upon a student’s race, color, nationality, sex, sexual orientation, ancestry, age, religion, creed, physical or mental disability, gender identity, order of protection status, status of being homeless, or actual or potential marital or parental status, including pregnancy, or other protected group status.
Adopted: December 6, 2007
Reaffirmed: February 18, 2010
Bullying, harassment, and intimidation are behaviors that unreasonably interfere with student learning or that creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive educational environment whether occurring on or off District property. The District will not tolerate bullying, harassing, or intimidating conduct, whether written, verbal, physical, or visual. This includes cyber-bullying and sexual harassment (e.g. touching, crude jokes or pictures, discussion of sexual experiences, teasing related to sexual characteristics, spreading rumors related to a person’s alleged sexual activities). No person, including a District employee, agent, or student, shall bully, harass, or intimidate another student or staff member.
Bullying involves repeated physical, verbal, electronic, or psychological attacks or intimidation directed against a victim who cannot properly defend him-or herself because of size or strength, or because the victim is outnumbered or less psychologically resilient. Bullying behavior includes assault, tripping, intimidation, rumor spreading and isolation, demands for money, destruction of property, theft of valued possessions, destruction of another’s work, and name-calling. Bullying can be face-to-face or electronic. Not all taunting, teasing, and fighting among students constitutes bullying.
The term harassment and intimidation include, but are not limited to, slurs, jokes, or other vulgar, graphic, or physical conduct related to an individual’s race, color, religion, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age or handicap/disability. Ethnic and racial harassment includes the use of derogatory words, phrases, or actions, to characterize a racial or ethnic group.
Students who believe they are victims of bullying, harassment, or intimidation or have witnessed bullying, harassment, or intimidation are encouraged to discuss the matter with a building administrator or Social Worker. Complaints will be kept confidential to the extent possible given the need to investigate.
(Board of Education Policy 7:340)
The Board of Education is required to properly collect, maintain, disseminate, destroy, and protect the confidentiality of student records and student information. The Board adopts this Policy on Student Records and intends that this Policy and the actions of the Board and its employees, agents, and attorneys conform with applicable state and federal statutes and their accompanying regulations. The Board of Education authorizes the Superintendent to develop procedures to implement this Policy consistent with the requirements of federal or state law.
Adopted: September 3, 1998
Revised: January 17, 2002
Notice Concerning Student Records
The Illinois School Student Records Act ("ISSRA") the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act ("FERPA"), and the regulations issued pursuant to these laws require that the Board of Education adopt a Student Records Policy ("Policy"). The Board of Education has adopted a Policy and Regulations which are available upon request from the Office of the Superintendent.
The District maintains both a permanent and temporary record for each student. The Permanent Record consists of basic identifying information concerning the student, his or her parents' names and addresses, the student's academic transcript, attendance record, and a record of release of this information. The Temporary Record consists of all other records maintained by the District concerning the student and by which the student may be individually identified.
A parent, or any person designated as a representative by a parent, has the right to inspect and copy the student's permanent and temporary records except as limited by the Policy or state or federal law. A student has the right to inspect or copy his or her permanent record. (All rights of the parent become the exclusive rights of the student upon the student's 18th birthday, graduation from secondary school, marriage, or entry into military service, whichever comes first.) In order to review the student's record, a parent must make a written request to the District. The request will be granted within fifteen (15) school days after the date of receipt of the request. The District may charge a fee of $.15 per page for copies of the record. This fee will be waived when the parent is unable to pay.
The District prohibits disclosure by school employees to any person against whom the District has received a certified copy of an order of protection of the location or address of the petitioner for the order of protection or the identity of the schools in the District in which the petitioner's child or children are enrolled. The District shall maintain the copy of any order of protection in the record of the child or children enrolled in the District whose parent is the petitioner of an order of protection. In addition, no person who is prohibited by an order of protection from inspecting or obtaining school records of a student pursuant to the Illinois Domestic Violence Act of 1986 shall have any right of access to, or inspection of, the school records of that student.
The District will release information contained in student records without parental notice or consent to the following individuals or in the following circumstances:
Student records may be released without parental consent, but, to the extent required by law, with notice to the parent of their right to inspect, copy or challenge the contents of the records to be released, unless otherwise allowed by law:
Any other release of information requires the prior written consent of the parent. The parent has the right to request a copy of any released records.
A parent also has the right to challenge or seek amendment to any entry in the student's school record, except for (1) grades; and (2) references to expulsions or out-of-school suspensions, if the challenge to expulsions or suspensions is made at the time the records are forwarded to another school to which the student is transferring. Parents may challenge or seek amendment to a student's school record by claiming that the record is inaccurate, irrelevant, improper, misleading, or violative of the student's privacy rights. The School District's Student Records policy, and its accompanying Rules and Regulations, provide for hearing and appeal procedures and an opportunity to include a statement in the record discussing or explaining any entry. To challenge a record or entry, the parent must contact the Superintendent. Parents may obtain a copy of the School District's Student Records policy by contacting the District Office.
The Policy also provides time lines for the destruction of records. The timeline for the destruction of records will be posted on the website by November 1, 20092010. Permanent records are kept for sixty (60) years. Temporary records are kept for the period of their usefulness to the school, but in no case less than five (5) years after the student leaves the District. Student records are reviewed by the District every four (4) years or when a student changes attendance centers. A parent has the right to copy any student record, or information contained in it, proposed to be destroyed or deleted.
The law and the Policy designate certain information as "Directory Information." Directory Information consists of identifying information, including the student's name, address, gender, grade level, birth date and birthplace and parent's names and addresses, academic awards, degrees and honors received, information relating to school-sponsored activities, organizations, and athletics, major field of study and period of attendance in the school. This information will be released to the general public from time to time, including, but not limited to, by way of a school directory; a student yearbook; classroom, school and District newsletters unless a parent informs the District in writing within ten (10) days of this Notice that information concerning his or her child should not be released, or that the parent desires that some or all of this information not be designated as directory information
Finally, no person may condition the granting or withholding of any right, privilege or benefit or make as a condition of employment, credit or insurance the securing by any individual of any information from a student's temporary record which such individual may obtain through the exercise of any right secured under the ISSRA or regulations.
If you believe the District has violated or is violating this policy, you have the right to file a complaint with the United States Department of Education concerning the District's alleged violation of your rights.
Parents and guardians may access information regarding registered sex offenders that is available to the public. Individuals may search the database by name, zip code or county. Access is free. The Illinois Sex Offender Registry is available through a link of the Illinois State Police website at: http://www.isp.state.il.us/. Registered sex offenders are prohibited from being on school grounds without prior notification and only for specific purposes.
District 92½ adheres to all State of Illinois and Federal regulations regarding the removal of asbestos containing materials. An asbestos management plan is available at each of the District's buildings for public inspection. Please contact your school office for further information.
Our schools are cleaned with environmentally sensitive cleaning products that meet Illinois requirements for schools.
Our schools maintain a registry of parents/guardians of students who have requested to receive written notification prior to application of pesticides and herbicides to school grounds. We respect the concern that some children who suffer from allergies may be impacted by some weed control products. However, we also recognize that many children suffer when weeds are left to grow and multiply. The timing of applications will occur during weekends providing a sufficient dissipation period. If you would like to be notified before the application of pesticides/herbicides to school grounds, please contact your building principal.
Westchester Public Schools participate in integrated pest management to keep our schools free of insects and pests. The system uses non-toxic methods of eliminating pests and uses pesticides on an emergency basis only.
If you wish to be contacted for any scheduled insecticide sprayings, should they be necessary, please contact your school office and ask to be placed on the notification list.
The District's annual budget is available for viewing on line at www.sd925.org.
Policies of the District 92½ Board of Education protect the rights of all students, in compliance with state and federal laws. The policies are available for inspection in the District and school office and will be posted on the District website during the course of this school year. No statement within this handbook is intended to supersede Board of Education policy.
Compliance Statement
District 92½ complies with all applicable federal laws and regulations prohibiting discrimination and legal and applicable requirements and regulations of the U.S. Department of Education.
The School District shall provide equal employment opportunities to all persons regardless of their race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, ancestry, marital status, arrest record, military status, order of protection status, or unfavorable military discharge, citizenship status provided the individual is authorized to work in the United States, use of lawful products while not at work, being a victim of domestic or sexual violence, genetic information, physical or mental handicap or disability, if otherwise able to perform the essential functions of the job with reasonable accommodation, and other legally protected categories.
The District’s Nondiscrimination Coordinator, Lynn Novak, can be contacted by calling (708) 450-2700.
Equal Educational Opportunities
Equal educational and extracurricular opportunities shall be available for all students without regard to color, race, nationality, religion, sex, sexual orientation, ancestry, age, physical or mental disability, gender identity, status of being homeless, order of protection status, actual or potential marital or parental status, including pregnancy. Further, the District will not knowingly enter into agreements with any entity or any individual that discriminates against students on the basis of sex or any other protected status, except that the District remains viewpoint neutral when granting access to school facilities under School Board Policy 8:20, Community Use of School Facilities. Any student may file a discrimination grievance by using Board Policy 2:260, Uniform Grievance Procedure.
The District’s Nondiscrimination Coordinator, Lynn Novak, can be contacted by calling (708) 450-2700.
Sexual Harassment/Sex Equity
The Board of Education has adopted policies concerning sexual harassment and sex equity. Copies of these policies are on file in each school and at the District Office.
Any students or parents who allege sex discrimination or sexual harassment may file a complaint with the Superintendent or designee in accordance with Board Policy 2:260, Uniform Grievance Procedure. A description of this procedure and copies of this policy may be obtained at the District Office, 9981 Canterbury Street, Westchester. Designated Complaint Managers are Lynn Novak and Michael Prombo.