Convicted Child Sex Offender; Screening; Notifications

Persons Prohibited on School Property without Prior Permission

State law prohibits a child sex offender from being present on school property or loitering within 500 feet of school property when persons under the age of 18 are present, unless the offender meets either of the following two exceptions:

1. The offender is a parent/guardian of a student attending the school and has notified the Building Principal of his or her presence at the school for the purpose of: (i) attending a conference with school personnel to discuss the progress of his or her child academically or socially, (ii) participating in child review conferences in which evaluation and placement decisions may be made with respect to his or her child regarding special education services, or (iii) attending conferences to discuss other student issues concerning his or her child such as retention and promotion; or

2. The offender received permission to be present from the School Board, Superintendent, or Superintendent’s designee. If permission is granted, the Superintendent or Board President shall provide the details of the offender’s upcoming visit to the Building Principal.

In all cases, the Superintendent or designee shall supervise a child sex offender whenever the offender is in a child’s vicinity. If a student is a sex offender, the Superintendent or designee shall develop guidelines for managing his or her presence in school.

Screening

The Superintendent or designee shall perform fingerprint-based criminal history records information checks and/or screenings required by State law or Board policy for employees; student teachers; students doing field or clinical experience other than student teaching; contractors’ employees who have direct, daily contact with one or more children; and resource persons and volunteers. The Board President shall ensure that these checks are completed for the Superintendent. He or she shall take appropriate action based on the result of any criminal background check and/or screen.

Notification to Parents/Guardians

The Superintendent shall develop procedures for the distribution and use of information from law enforcement officials under the Sex Offender Community Notification Law and the Murderer and Violent Offender Against Youth Community Notification Law. The Superintendent or designee shall serve as the District contact person for purposes of these laws. The Superintendent and Building Principal shall manage a process for schools to notify the parents/guardians during school registration that information about sex offenders is available to the public as provided in the Sex Offender Community Notification Law. This notification must occur during school registration and at other times as the Superintendent or Building Principal determines advisable.

LEGAL REF.: 20 U.S.C. §7926, Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

20 ILCS 2635/, Uniform Conviction Information Act.

720 ILCS 5/11-9.3, Criminal Code of 2012.

730 ILCS 152/, Sex Offender Community Notification Law.

730 ILCS 154/75-105, Murderer and Violent Offender Against Youth Community Notification Law.

CROSS REF.: 2:110 (Qualifications, Term, and Duties of Board Officers), 3:40 (Superintendent), 3:50 (Administrative Personnel Other Than the Superintendent), 3:60 (Administrative Responsibility of the Building Principal), 4:165 (Awareness and Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse and Grooming Behaviors), 5:30 (Hiring Process and Criteria), 5:260 (Student Teachers), 6:250 (Community Resource Persons and Volunteers), 8:30 (Visitors to and Conduct on School Property), 8:100 (Relations with Other Organizations and Agencies)

Adopted: July 11, 2022