Registration

Free and Reduced Lunch
Free and reduced lunch eligibility criteria changes yearly. If you would like to apply, please call your school’s front office to receive your application. (4:130)

Registration Fees and Waivers

The Superintendent will recommend to the Board of Education a schedule of fees, if any, to be charged students for the use of textbooks, consumable materials, extracurricular activities, and other school student fees. Students must also pay for the loss of or damage to school books or other school-owned materials. All school student fees as defined by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) are waived for students who meet the eligibility criteria for a fee waiver contained in this policy. Students receiving a fee waiver are not exempt from charges for lost and damaged books, locks, materials, supplies, and equipment. (4:140)

The district has adopted a written policy for the administration of school fee and fine waivers and waives school fees and any fines for the loss of school property assessed by the district on children whose parents are unable to afford them, including but not limited to: (i) children living in households that meet free lunch or breakfast eligibility guidelines established by the federal government and (ii) homeless children and youth. The policy/procedures include:  standards for the determination of eligibility; procedures for notification of parents or guardians, with such notice of waiver eligibility given with every bill for fees or fines; and the procedures for resolving disputes regarding the waiver of school fees. (105)

The school district cannot withhold a student transfer form, report card, or transcript due to the failure to pay fees. 

Registration Documentation

All students must register for school each year on the dates and at the place designated by the Superintendent. Parents/guardians of students enrolling in the District for the first time must present:

1. A certified copy of the student’s birth certificate. If a birth certificate is not presented, the Superintendent or designee shall notify in writing the person enrolling the student that within 30 days the parent/guardian must provide a certified copy of the student’s birth certificate. A student will be enrolled without a birth certificate. When a certified copy of the birth certificate is presented, the school shall promptly make a copy for its records, place the copy in the student’s permanent record, and return the certified copy to the person enrolling the child. If a person enrolling a student fails to provide a certified copy of the student’s birth certificate within 30 days of enrollment, the Superintendent or designee shall (1) immediately notify the local law enforcement agency and (2) notify the person enrolling the student in writing that the person has 10 additional days to comply with the birth certificate requirement, but if the person fails to comply, the case will be referred to the local law enforcement authority for investigation. If compliance is not obtained within that ten-day period, the Superintendent or designee shall so refer the case. The Superintendent or designee shall immediately report to the local law enforcement authority any affidavit received during registration or enrollment that appears inaccurate or suspicious in form or content.

1. Proof of residence, as required by Board policy 7:60.

2. Proof of disease immunization or detection and the required physical examination, as required by state law and Board Policy 7:100, Health, Eye, and Dental Examinations; Immunizations; and Exclusion of Students

Eligibility
To be eligible for admission, a child must be five years old on or before September 1 of that school term. A child entering first grade must be six years of age on or before September 1 of that school term. Based upon an assessment of the child’s readiness to attend school, the District may permit the student to attend school prior to these dates. A child will also be allowed to attend first grade based upon an assessment of the student’s readiness if the student attended a non-public preschool, continued their education at that school through kindergarten, was taught in kindergarten by an appropriately licensed teacher, and will be six years old on or before December 31. A child with exceptional needs who qualifies for special education services is eligible for admission at three years of age. Early entrance to kindergarten or first grade may also be available. 

Schools of the district do not refuse to enroll a student because of a student's failure to present his/her student permanent or temporary records from a school attended previously. (114D)

The board of education has a policy stating if a pupil's change of residence is due to the military service obligation of the person with legal custody of a student, he/she may, with a written request from legal custodian, maintain his/her residency as determined prior to the military obligation. (102A)

The district allows a dependent of United States military personnel who is housed in temporary housing located outside of the district to enroll if the dependent will be living within the district within 6 months after the time of initial enrollment and the military personnel seeking to enroll the dependent under this exception provides proof that the dependent will be living within the boundaries of the district within 6 months. (102C)

STUDENT RECORDS

The District recognizes the legal requirement to maintain the confidentiality of student records.  Access to student records shall be consistent with federal and state statutes, including the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA), the Illinois School Student Records Act, and their implementing regulations.  All school records, including permanent and temporary records, are available for inspection and duplication by students and their parents/guardians. Written notification regarding the destruction schedule for permanent and temporary records and the right to request a copy of such records prior to their destruction is provided to parents/students when pupils graduate, transfer or withdraw from school.  The district will not refuse to enroll a student because of a student's failure to present his/her student permanent or temporary records from a school attended previously.

Student directory information, which includes the student’s name, address, parents’ telephone listing, date and place of birth, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, weight and height of members of athletic teams, awards and honors received, photographs and videos of students participating in school or school sponsored activities that have appeared in school publications, and dates of attendance, may be disclosed publicly. Parents can object to the release of directory information regarding their scholar. Please contact the school office if you do not wish for your scholar’s directory information to be released. Before collecting biometric information from students, the school must seek the permission of the student’s parent/guardian or the student, if over the age of 18.  See Board Policy 7:340 for the full policy.