Caring, Safe, and Orderly Learning Environment

Minor accidents which occur during the school day are treated by the classroom teacher or registered nurse. It is the responsibility of the parents to contact a doctor or take the child to the doctor's office or hospital.

If the injury appears serious, the school nurse will call a parent/guardian. If a parent/guardian cannot be reached, the school will call the emergency number provided on the enrollment form. If a parent/guardian or designated emergency contact is not available and the injury requires immediate aid, the child will be taken to the nearest hospital by paramedics. A school administrator will accompany the child while school staff continue to try to connect with parents/guardians.

Individuals with disabilities shall be provided an opportunity to participate in all school-sponsored services, programs, or activities, including parent-teacher conferences, school programs and school board meetings, on an equal basis and will not be subject to illegal discrimination. Where necessary, the district may provide separate or different aids, benefits, or services from, but as effective as, those provided to others. The district will provide reasonable accommodations where necessary to afford individuals with disabilities equal opportunity to participate in or enjoy the benefits of a service, program, or activity. Each service, program, or activity operated in existing facilities shall be readily accessible to, and usable by, individuals with disabilities. Individuals with disabilities should notify the Superintendent or building principal if they have a disability which will require special assistance or services and, if so, what services are required. This notification should occur as far as possible before the school-sponsored function, program, or meeting. Individuals with disabilities may allege a violation of this policy or federal law by filing a grievance under the Uniform Grievance Procedure (Board Policy 2:260, Uniform Grievance Procedure).

Complaint Managers:

• Shari Lazor, EdD, Associate Superintendent, lazors@ccsd15.net, 847-963-3000, 580 N 1st Bank Drive, Palatine IL 60067
• Thomas Edgar, PhD, Assistant Superintendent for Educational Services, edgart@ccsd15.net, 847-963-3000, 580 N 1st Bank Drive, Palatine IL 60067

No animals are allowed on school grounds during times when children are present unless pre-authorized by the Principal of the school. (Trained service animals in use by a person with a disability are allowed on school grounds.)

We continue to remain focused on our top priority, student safety, in all of our school buildings. Safety is a shared responsibility and all of us play an important role in keeping our students safe.  

Aside from reporting an incident or concern to a trusted adult, an online, anonymous option that is available to you and your child is the existing online Bullying/Safety Tipline.

• The tipline provides everyone, parents and students, with an option to anonymously report bullying and/or safety concerns within their schools.  
• Please include as much detailed information as possible because doing so will greatly assist administrators in investigating and addressing the concern(s). When information is shared, it enables the administrators to take action in order to keep our students safe.
• All tips are anonymous unless you choose to identify yourself.

Additional Parent/Student Resources:

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 800-273-8255, https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ 
   
• 988 Crisis Line: Text 988 for any mental health crisis and suicide prevention
   
• Crisis Text Line: text HOME to 741741 to reach a volunteer Crisis Counselor, https://www.crisistextline.org/
   
• Safe2Help Illinois helpline: text SAFE2 (72332), call 844-4-SAFEIL, visit website Safe2HelpIllinois.com or email HELP@Safe2HelpIL.com.

Board Policy 2:270, Discrimination and Harassment on the Basis of Race, Color, and National Origin Prohibited

Discrimination and harassment on the basis of race, color, or national origin negatively affect a student’s ability to learn and an employee’s ability to work. Providing an educational and workplace environment free from such discrimination and harassment is an important District goal. The District does not discriminate on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, or national origin in any of its education programs or activities, and it complies with federal and State non-discrimination laws.

Examples of Prohibited Conduct

Examples of conduct that may constitute discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin include: disciplining students more harshly and frequently because of their race, color, or national origin; denying students access to high-rigor academic courses, extracurricular activities, or other educational opportunities based on their race, color, or national origin; denying language services or other educational opportunities to English learners; and assigning students special education services based on a student's race, color, or national origin.

Harassment is a form of prohibited discrimination. Examples of conduct that may constitute harassment on the basis of race, color, or national origin include: the use of racial, ethnic or ancestral slurs or stereotypes; taunts; name-calling; offensive or derogatory remarks about a person's actual or perceived race, color, or national origin; the display of racially-offensive symbols; racially-motivated physical threats and attacks; or other hateful conduct.

Making a Report or Complaint; Investigation Process

Individuals are encouraged to promptly report claims or incidences of discrimination or harassment based on race, color, or national origin to the Nondiscrimination Coordinator, a Complaint Manager, or any employee with whom the student is comfortable speaking. Reports under this policy will be processed under Board policy 2:260, Uniform Grievance Procedure.

Any District employee who receives a report or complaint of discrimination or harassment must promptly forward the report or complaint to the Nondiscrimination Coordinator or a Complaint Manager. Any employee who fails to promptly comply may be disciplined, up to and including discharge.

Reports and complaints of discrimination or harassment will be confidential to the greatest extent practicable, subject to the District’s duty to investigate and maintain an educational environment that is productive, respectful, and free of unlawful discrimination, including harassment.

This policy does not impair or otherwise diminish the existing rights of unionized employees to request an exclusive bargaining representative to be present during any investigatory interviews, nor does this policy diminish any rights available under an applicable collective bargaining agreement, including, but not limited to, a grievance procedure.

Federal and State Agencies

If the District fails to take necessary corrective action to stop harassment based on race, color, or national origin, further relief may be available through the Ill. Dept. of Human Rights (IDHR) or the U.S. Dept. of Education's Office for Civil Rights.  To contact IDHR, go to: https://dhr.illinois.gov/about-us/contact-idhr.html or call (312) 814-6200 (Chicago) or (217) 785-5100 (Springfield).

Prevention and Response Program

The Superintendent or designee shall establish a prevention and response program to respond to complaints of discrimination based on race, color, and national origin, including harassment, and retaliation. The program shall include procedures for responding to complaints which:

1. Reduce or remove, to the extent practicable, barriers to reporting discrimination, harassment, and retaliation;
2. Permit any person who reports or is the victim of an incident of alleged discrimination, harassment, or retaliation to be accompanied when making a report by a support individual of the person's choice who complies with the District's policies and rules;
3. Permit anonymous reporting, except that an anonymous report may not be the sole basis of any disciplinary action;
4. Offer remedial interventions or take such disciplinary action as may be appropriate on a case-by-case basis;
5. Offer, but do not require or unduly influence, a person who reports or is the victim of an incident of harassment or retaliation the option to resolve allegations directly with the accused; and
6. Protects a person who reports or is the victim of an incident of harassment or retaliation from suffering adverse consequences as a result of a report of, investigation of, or a response to the incident.

Policy Posting and Distribution

This policy shall be posted on the District's website.  The Superintendent shall annually inform staff members of this policy by posting it in a prominent and accessible location such as the District website, employee handbook, staff intranet site, and/or in other areas where policies and rules of conduct are made available to staff.  The Superintendent shall annually inform students and their parents/guardians of this policy by posting it on the District's website and including an age-appropriate summary of the policy in the student handbook(s).

Enforcement

Any District employee who is determined, after an investigation, to have engaged in conduct prohibited by this policy will be subject to remedial action and/or disciplinary action, up to and including discharge.

Any District student who is determined, after an investigation, to have engaged in conduct prohibited by this policy will be subject to remedial action and/or disciplinary action, including but not limited to, suspension and expulsion consistent with Board policy 7:190, Student Behavior.

Any third party who is determined, after an investigation, to have engaged in conduct prohibited by this policy will be addressed in accordance with the authority of the Board in the context of the relationship of the third party to the District, e.g., vendor, parent, invitee, etc. Any person making a knowingly false accusation regarding prohibited conduct will likewise be subject to remedial and/or disciplinary action.

Retaliation Prohibited

Retaliation against any person for bringing complaints, participating in the complaint process, or otherwise providing information about discrimination or harassment based on race, color, or national origin is prohibited (see Board policy 2:260, Uniform Grievance Procedure).

Individuals should report allegations of retaliation to the Building Principal, an administrator, the Nondiscrimination Coordinator, and/or a Complaint Manager.

Parents and visitors are welcome at school. However, because unannounced visits can be disruptive and interfere with instructional time, all visits must be arranged through an appointment with the classroom teacher or office staff. Younger siblings in the classroom can be a distraction, so we ask that you make arrangements for them if you plan to visit. Visits immediately before school holidays or at the end of the school year are not encouraged because those are extremely busy times for teachers and other staff members.

All visitors to school property are required to report to the school office and receive permission to remain on school property.

According to District 15 Parent/Visitor Procedures, all school visitors are required to:

• Enter through the Front Office.

• Sign in to the school’s visitor’s log, providing any pertinent information listed on the log (i.e., name, destination, the reason for the visit, time-in/time-out, etc.).

• Provide a personal government-issued identification card in exchange for the visitor’s pass.

• Visibly wear the visitor’s pass that is provided by the school’s office personnel for the duration of the visit.

• Observe all laws, Board policies, procedures, and rules while visiting the school, including Board Policy 8:30, Visitors to and Conduct on School Property.

• Sign out of the visitor’s log and return the visitor’s pass in exchange for personal government-issued identification.

Parent volunteers are encouraged and welcome in all District 15 schools; however, we ask that the following protocols be observed:

• All volunteers must sign in at the school office and wear a guest or volunteer badge while in the building.
• All volunteers must note the purpose and destination of their visit and not deviate from this purpose or destination without prior notification to the school office.
• All volunteers must follow confidentiality guidelines when working with students.
• Volunteers should not bring either under-school-age children or school-age children not attending school (i.e., absent due to illness, half-day programming, etc.) with them while volunteering.
• Volunteers are considered a part of the school population, and should observe all laws, school policies, procedures, and rules while visiting the school. In the event a visitor is in the building when a lockdown is initiated, remain in the area you are in and follow the directives of trained staff members.

We continue to remain focused on our top priority, student safety, in all of our school buildings. Safety is a shared responsibility and all of us play an important role in keeping our students safe.  

Throughout District 15, we take a proactive approach in maintaining a safe and orderly learning environment. We want to be sure all students are prepared to respond appropriately if they find themselves in an unsafe situation.  

Students learn about the importance of reporting unsafe behaviors and situations at school through a lesson called “See Something, Say Something.” This lesson is taught to all District 15 students during the month of October. It covers what behaviors and situations are unsafe and the multiple ways students can report these incidents.  

Aside from reporting an incident or concern to a trusted adult, an online, anonymous option that is available to you and your child is the existing online Bullying/Safety Tipline.

• The tipline provides everyone, parents and students, with an option to anonymously report bullying and/or safety concerns within their schools.  
• Please include as much detailed information as possible because doing so will greatly assist administrators in investigating and addressing the concern(s). When information is shared, it enables the administrators to take action in order to keep our students safe.
• All tips are anonymous unless you choose to identify yourself.

It is important to note, we are teaching our students to “See Something, Say Something” as a proactive measure in order to ensure students know what to do if they find themselves in an unsafe situation.

Teaching and preventing unsafe behaviors is a priority for the District 15 Safety Committee.

Thank you for your continued commitment to keeping our students safe. If you have any concerns, please reach out.