Caring, Safe, and Orderly Learning Environment

D15 conducts the following drills at each school on an annual basis as required by Illinois School Code: 

• Three evacuation drills. One of the three evacuation drills must be supervised by the appropriate fire department.

• One bus evacuation drill.

• One severe weather and shelter-in-place drill.

• Two law enforcement (lockdown) drills. One of the two drills must be a staff-initiated lock-down. 

Newly authorized House Bill 2400 (The School Safety Drill Act) states:

• All lockdown drills will be announced to all school personnel and students prior to the commencement of the drill.

• Schools will provide sufficient information and notification to parents/guardians in advance of any lockdown drill that involves the participation of students.

• Schools will provide parents/guardians an opportunity to exempt their child for any reason from participating in the walk-through lockdown drill.

• Schools will provide alternative safety education and instruction related to an active threat or shooter event to students who do not participate in a lockdown drill to provide them with essential information, training, and instruction through less sensorial methods.

• Building administrators will notify families of upcoming drills at least one week in advance of the drill. If you prefer your child does NOT participate in the yearly required lockdown drills, please complete this School Safety Drill Opt-Out form. Please submit one form for each of your children you are opting out.

The schools also conduct an annual drill review meeting with principals and representatives from police and fire departments to continuously improve each school’s readiness to respond to an emergency and/or crisis situation.

Although there are many safety measures in place at each school in the District, an emergency or crisis situation may still occur. Parents should consider the following actions before, during, or after an emergency or crisis situation:

• Speak regularly with your child(ren) about the importance of reporting any concern(s) that they have about safety to an adult either at school or at home so that their concern can be acted upon.

• Similarly, contact building administration to report any concerns that you have regarding school safety so that your concern(s) can be acted upon.

In the event of an emergency or crisis:

• A parent’s first instinct may be to go to the school immediately. Instead, help law enforcement and school officials to keep the parking lot clear and roadways leading to the area open so that the appropriate first responders can arrive on the scene as quickly as possible. Once onsite, the responders will require staging space for vehicles and personnel. Staying clear of the school will help ensure a swift arrival of first responders.

• Stay home or at your workplace to receive updates via text / phone / email OR wait to be informed of a location in the community where you can go to receive real-time updates from law enforcement / district officials / designated liaisons.  Each municipality with schools in District 15 (Hoffman Estates, Palatine, and Rolling Meadows) have a number of locations that can be used to provide in-person information about an emergency to parents and community members. To maintain both flexibility and to ensure security of these various sites, additional locations in each community will not be shared until the day of an incident.  

You can be prepared by:

• Making sure your emergency contact information is up-to-date in Infinite Campus and includes accurate cell phone numbers and email addresses so that there is not a delay in contacting you in the event of an emergency.

• Also make sure you list trusted adults as emergency contacts in Infinite Campus who would be able to pick up your child if you are not available.  Without exception, students will be released only to their parents, legal guardians, or emergency contacts identified in registration materials during an emergency or crisis situation.

• Social media is a powerful communication tool, but in the event of a crisis or an emergency, rely on information provided by school officials and law enforcement via phone, text, and/or email, and refrain from posting incomplete or unconfirmed details that may fuel confusion and/or fear in the community.

• Please view A Parent’s Role in an Emergency Situation presentation and slideshow (English / Ukrainian / Spanish / Japanese), sponsored by the PTA/PTSA and Palatine Police Department.

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.

In order to maintain order and security in the schools, school authorities are authorized to conduct reasonable searches of school property and equipment, as well as of students and their personal effects. “School authorities” includes school resource officers.

School Property and Equipment as well as Personal Effects Left There by Students

School authorities may inspect and search school property and equipment owned or controlled by the school (such as lockers, desks, and parking lots), as well as personal effects left there by a student, without notice to or the consent of the student. Students have no reasonable expectation of privacy in these places or areas or in their personal effects left there.

The Superintendent may request the assistance of law enforcement officials to conduct inspections and searches of lockers, desks, parking lots, and other school property or equipment for illegal drugs, weapons, or other illegal or dangerous substances or materials, including searches conducted through the use of specially trained dogs.

Students

School authorities may search a student and/or the student's personal effects in the student's possession (such as purses, wallets, knapsacks, book bags, lunch boxes, etc.) when there is a reasonable ground for suspecting that the search will produce evidence the particular student has violated or is violating either the law or the district's student conduct rules. The search itself must be conducted in a manner which is reasonably related to its objectives and not excessively intrusive in light of the student's age and sex, and the nature of the infraction.

When feasible, the search should be conducted as follows:

Immediately following a search, a written report shall be made by the school authority who conducted the search, and given to the Superintendent. 

Seizure of Property

If a search produces evidence that the student has violated or is violating either the law or the District's policies or rule, such evidence may be seized and impounded by school authorities, and disciplinary action may be taken. When appropriate, such evidence may be transferred to law enforcement authorities.

Notification Regarding Student Accounts or Profiles on Social Networking Websites

The Superintendent or designee shall notify students and their parents/guardians of each of the following in accordance with the Right to Privacy in the School Setting Act, 105 ILCS 75/:

Canine Searches

Creating and maintaining a safe environment for our students and staff is one of the most important tasks educators have. It is with this in mind that each junior high school in Community Consolidated School District 15 partners with local law enforcement to conduct up to two (2) unannounced canine searches each year for illegal drugs.

All canine searches are limited in scope to lockers and other common areas (e.g., gym lockers, library, etc.) with building administration being present throughout the exercise. When a canine search is being conducted, the school is placed into a Secure and Teach (previously called a soft lockdown). A Secure and Teach requires students and staff to remain in their classroom where instruction continues to take place.

In the event that illegal drugs are found during a canine search, building administration conducts a full investigation that would most likely involve the participation of our school resource officer and appropriate school-based and legal consequences would be issued.

School administration will inform parents and staff of each canine search after it has taken place.

Additional information about searches in Community Consolidated School District 15 can be found in Policy 7:140 Search and Seizure.

• Outside the view of others, including students;
• In the presence of a school administrator or adult witness; and
• By a certificated employee or police liaison officer of the same sex as the student.

1. School officials may not request or require a student or his or her parent/guardian to provide a password or other related account information to gain access to the student’s account or profile on a social networking website.
2. School officials may conduct an investigation or require a student to cooperate in an investigation if there is specific information about activity on the student’s account on a social networking website that violates a school disciplinary rule or policy. In the course of an investigation, the student may be required to share the content that is reported in order to allow school officials to make a factual determination.

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.

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.)

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.

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

Public Act 096-1524, known as Erin’s Law, amends the school code to address the prevention of child sexual abuse. In partnership with parents and families, the District is committed to raising awareness and providing resources to further community prevention efforts.

Visit the District 15 website Erin's Law - Child Sexual Abuse Prevention & Personal Safety for additional resources for parents.

Starting July 1, 2023, a new law took effect for all Illinois schools. Faith's Law is named after a prevention advocate and child sexual abuse survivor from Illinois who pushed for change to state laws related to educator sexual misconduct in K-12 schools. 

Sexual misconduct is defined as:

Any act, including, but not limited to, any verbal, nonverbal, written, or electronic communication or physical activity, by an employee or agent of the school district, charter school or nonpublic school with direct contact with a student that is directed toward or with a student to establish a romantic or sexual relationship with the student. Such an act includes, but is not limited to, any of the following:

1. A sexual or romantic invitation. 
2. Dating or soliciting a date. 
3. Engaging in sexualized or romantic dialog.
4. Making sexually suggestive comments that are directed toward or with a student.
5. Self-disclosure or physical exposure of a sexual, romantic, or erotic nature.
6. A sexual, indecent, romantic, or erotic contact with a student

Faith’s Law Resource Guide

ISBE has developed and maintains the Faith’s Law Resource Guide that includes guidance for pupils, parents/guardians, and teachers about sexual abuse responses and prevention resources available in their community, including the contact information of entities that provide services for victims of child sexual abuse and their families. This resource guide is also available on D15's Faith’s Law webpage. 

D15 Employee Code of Professional Conduct Policy

School District 15 has developed and implemented an employee code of professional conduct policy, 5:120 Employee Ethics; Code of Professional Conduct; and Conflict of Interest in compliance with Faith’s Law.

For more information about Faith’s Law, please visit ISBE’s Faith’s Law webpage.

State law requires schools to notify parent/guardians during school registration or parent-teacher conferences that information about sex offenders and violent offenders against youth is available to the public on the Ill. Dept. of State Police (ISP) website.  

• Illinois Sex Offender Registry, https://isp.illinois.gov/Sor/Disclaimer
• Illinois Murderer and Violent Offender Against Youth Registry, https://isp.illinois.gov/MVOAY/Disclaimer
• Frequently Asked Questions Concerning Sex Offenders, https://isp.illinois.gov/Sor/FAQs

Mental Health issues can play a role in school and community safety. That said, District 15 has invested significantly in mental health and social-emotional wellness programs, services and associated staffing. We have steadily, over the last four years, layered even more offerings at our schools. 

The following will give you a sense of how seriously we take the health and wellness of our students:

• A Director of Comprehensive Mental Health was created in 2019 to help oversee the expansion of mental health services within District 15. Additionally, we hired a trauma-informed coordinator and increased social work training and support by moving the role of social work coordinator from part to full-time.  

• Dedicated social workers, counselors, and/or psychologists are available at each school. Beginning a few years ago, we began to greatly increase the number of mental health professionals at our schools. We moved to a staffing based on need model to ensure students receive the support they need. 

• We have an online bullying and safety reporting center that allows students, parents, staff, and community members to report concerns either by name or anonymously.

• We are registered with Safe2Help, a free 24/7 confidential school safety program that allows students the ability to report school safety issues, provides resources if a student needs help, and encourages students to help others.  

• Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is implemented at each school in the District, designed to teach, model, and reinforce desired student behaviors. PBIS also provides supports to students who are struggling behaviorally. 

• All district-issued chromebooks have Go Guardian software which screens internet activity and allows us to see all sites students visit while on a D15 device. Go Guardian also allows us to limit access to unsafe and/or inappropriate sites for school-age children. 

• Social-emotional learning curriculum and resources have been standardized K-8.

• A universal social-emotional learning screener is administered to students in grades 3-8. This screener identifies students at increased risk of mental health concerns in order to connect them with a mental health professional or to monitor students who may be in need of future support.

• In alternating years, students in eighth grade participate in the optional Illinois Youth Survey, which helps identify students’ health and social indicator data.

• PREPaRE crisis intervention training is provided for all building administrators and clinicians. PREPaRE helps teams “prepare” and respond to a crisis situation in a consistent and trauma-informed manner. 

• De-escalation and student distress / mental health training through Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI) and Life Space Crisis Intervention (LSCI) training is provided for all clinicians and administrators.

• We offer a mental health awareness program that includes depression awareness and suicide prevention using Erika's Lighthouse as the curricular resource.

• Morning classroom meetings utilizing mindfulness, community circles, and restorative practices have been established over the last few years. 

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.