Introductory Information & General Notices

The School Board governs the school district and is elected by the community.

• Seven elected members serve for four-year staggered terms
• The Board elects its President and Vice-President from among its members
• The Board represents the community, serves the best interest of the children of the district, and are non-paid representatives

Current School Board Members are:

• Tom Simmons, President
• Katie Anderson, Vice President
• Maria Kuhlman
• Dr. Jaini Mody
• Rebecca Olson
• Ankit Patel
• Monica Slavin

Functions of the Board:

• Establishes the philosophy of the District and passes policies to carry out this philosophy
• Hires and releases all personnel upon the recommendation of the Superintendent of Schools
• Conducts necessary business at open meetings (The public is welcome to attend; however, we now provide a live stream of the meeting. Public comment is allowed at the beginning of the meeting)
• Receives and reviews reports from staff
• Conducts executive or closed sessions to discuss matters such as personnel or students, negotiations, acquisition of real estate, pending litigation, etc.

The Superintendent:

• Serves as the chief executive officer of the Board
• Is responsible for the daily operation of the school system
• Carries out the policies of the Board
• Manages the school in conformance with the Illinois School Code

Diligent Community

The Board of Education utilizes a paperless agenda called Diligent Community. On this site, you may view current meetings, board briefs, and official board minutes.

All visitors, including parents and siblings, are required to enter through the front door of the building and proceed immediately to the main office. Visitors should identify themselves and inform office personnel of their reason for being at school.

Visitors must sign in, identifying their name, the date and time of arrival, and the classroom or location they are visiting. Approved visitors must take a tag identifying themselves as a guest and place the tag on their outer clothing in a clearly visible location. Visitors are required to proceed immediately to their location in a quiet manner. All visitors must return to the main office and sign out before leaving the school.

Any person wishing to confer with a staff member should contact that staff member to make an appointment. Conferences with teachers are held, to the extent possible, outside school hours or during the teacher’s conference/preparation period.

Visitors are expected to abide by all school rules during their time on school property. A visitor who fails to conduct himself or herself in a manner that is appropriate will be asked to leave and may be subject to criminal penalties for trespassing and/or disruptive behavior.

No person on school property or at a school event shall perform any of the following acts:

1. Strike, injure, threaten, harass, or intimidate a staff member, board member, sports official or coach, or any other person.
2. Behave in an unsportsmanlike manner or use vulgar or obscene language.
3. Unless specifically permitted by State law, possess a weapon, any object that can reasonably be considered a weapon or looks like a weapon, or any dangerous device.
4. Damage or threaten to damage another’s property.
5. Damage or deface school property.
6. Violate any Illinois law or municipal, local or county ordinance.
7. Smoke or otherwise use tobacco products.
8. Distribute, consume, use, possess, or be impaired by or under the influence of an alcoholic beverage, cannabis, other lawful product, or illegal drug.
9. Be present when the person’s alcoholic beverage, cannabis, other lawful product, or illegal drug consumption is detectible, regardless of when and/or where the use occurred.
10. Use or possess medical cannabis, unless he or she has complied with Illinois’ Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Act and district policies.
11. Impede, delay, disrupt, or otherwise interfere with any school activity or function (including using cellular phones in a disruptive manner).
12. Enter upon any portion of school premises at any time for purposes other than those that are lawful and authorized by the board.
13. Operate a motor vehicle: (a) in a risky manner, (b) in excess of 20 miles per hour, or (c) in violation of an authorized district employee’s directive.
14. Engage in any risky behavior, including roller-blading, roller-skating, or skateboarding.
15. Violate other district policies or regulations, or a directive from an authorized security officer or district employee.
16. Engage in any conduct that interferes with, disrupts, or adversely affects the district or a school function.

Any person who engages in prohibited conduct may be ejected from or denied admission to school property in accordance with State law. The person may also be subject to being denied admission to school athletic or extracurricular events for up to one calendar year.

Visitor Aware - East Maine 63 uses the Visitor Aware Management System to screen all visitors, which is explicitly designed to help secure schools. It ensures that only safe visitors are granted access to all locations in the district. This provides an additional layer of security for your children by validating the identities of anyone entering the premises, determining if they are a potential threat, and keeping accurate records of all school visits.

Visitors are required to have a valid state-issued identification card, such as a driver’s license or a state ID, to check in and ensure the accuracy of the information provided. Valid identification is also used to ensure that the person checking in is the same as the ID holder.

The following information is collected during an initial check-in or an information refresh:

• ID Number
• First Name
• Middle Name    
• Last Name
• ID Expiration Date
• Date of Birth
• Address
• Sex
• Photograph

What kind of identification is required?

• A valid, non-expired state-issued identification plastic card with a photo of you. Photos of ID and/or screenshots of state IDs will not be accepted.  

Alternative Options – Accepted, but not recommended - require staff-assisted check-in:

• Green Cards
• Passport 
• Mexican Consular ID Card
• Military Identification Card

Without acceptable identification, for the safety of our students and staff, access to the building may be denied.

Visitors must present one of the above-mentioned items in exchange for a visitor’s pass, which must be worn at all times while visiting classrooms or other building areas. Upon signing out of the school, the ID will be returned to the individual in exchange for the visitor’s pass. 

Access to General Education Classrooms and Personnel - School visitation days are scheduled by the District each year, and parents are encouraged to take advantage of these opportunities to visit their child’s classes and interact with teachers and other building staff. Classroom visits on other days will be considered on an individual basis taking into consideration such factors as the reason for the requested visit, the number and nature of visits previously granted, the cumulative number of visits made to a particular classroom, the potential disruption to the learning environment and the best interests of the class as a whole. Avoiding disruption to the classroom during instructional time is of paramount consideration. Only parents or legal guardians will be considered for classroom visits, no more than once per school quarter for up to one hour or one class period.

Requests for classroom visits must be presented in advance to the building principal for review and consideration using form 6:120-AP2.E3 Request to Access Classroom(s) or Personnel for General Education. For classroom observations of students receiving or being evaluated for special education services, please see Policy 6:120 Education of Children with Disabilities and 6:120-AP2.E1. Request to Access Classroom(s) or Personnel for Special Education Evaluation and/or Observation Purposes.

If a request is approved, all visitors must comply with:

• School safety, security, visitation policies, and all directives from building staff.
• Applicable privacy laws, including those laws protecting the confidentiality of education records such as the Federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act and the Illinois School Student Records Act.
• Board Policy 8:30 Visitors to and Conduct on School Property. Visitors may not disrupt the educational process.

In cases of bad weather and other local emergencies, please listen to any local radio or television station to be advised of school closings or early dismissals. School closings for any reason will be announced as early as possible. If bad weather or other emergency occurs during the day, please listen to local media stations for possible early dismissal information.

For your child’s safety, make certain your child knows ahead of time where to go in case of an early dismissal. If we dismiss early for an emergency, all after-school functions are automatically cancelled.