Parental Right Notifications

Teacher Qualifications

Parents/guardians may request information about the qualifications of their student’s teachers and paraprofessionals, including:

• Whether the teacher has met State qualification and licensing criteria for the grade levels and subject areas in which the teacher provides instruction;
• Whether the teacher is teaching under an emergency or other provisional status through which State qualification and licensing criteria have been waived;
• Whether the teacher is teaching in a field of discipline of the teacher’s certification;
• Whether any instructional aides or paraprofessionals provide services to your student and, if so, their qualifications.

If you would like to receive any of this information, please contact the district office.

Standardized Testing

Students and parents/guardians should be aware that the State and District require students to take certain standardized tests, including the following: 

Formal assessments include:

• October and May 

  • Grades K-8: Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) in reading and math

• March and April

  • Grades 3-8: Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) in reading and math.

  • Grade 5 and 8: Illinois Science Assessment (ISA).

Informal assessments include:

• Teacher-generated: Paper and pencil tests, online tests, performance-based assessments, and observations

• Publisher-generated tests

Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) 

1. English Language Arts and Mathematics

2. IAR assesses the Illinois Learning Standards in ELA and math, which incorporate the Common Core Standards

3. The Illinois State Board of Education requires IAR for grades 3-8

4. Although the time students take the IAR can change from year to year and grade, students typically take three ELA and four math assessments. Each subject area assessment takes between 60 and 90 minutes.

5. Schools and families will receive machine-scored results as designated by the State of Illinois.

Illinois Science Assessment (ISA)

1. Science

2. ISA assesses the Illinois Learning Standards for Science, which incorporates the Next Generation Science Standards

3. The Illinois State Board of Education requires ISA for grades 5 and 8

4. Although the time the students take the ISA can change from year to year and from grade to grade, students are typically given 0 minutes to complete the assessment.

5. Schools and families will receive machine-scored results as designated by the State of Illinois.

Report Cards

Student report cards give parents and students regular feedback on students’ academic progress. Elementary students receive three report cards each year. Report cards are usually sent home in November, March, and the last day of school. Middle School students receive report cards four times per year. Report cards are generally issued to sixth, seventh, and eighth students in November, January, April, and on the last day of school.

Homeless Child’s Right to Education

When a child loses permanent housing and becomes a homeless person as defined at law, or when a homeless child changes his or her temporary living arrangements, the parent or guardian of the homeless child has the option of either:

1. continuing the child’s education in the school of origin for as long as the child remains homeless or, if the child becomes permanently housed, until the end of the academic year during which the housing is acquired; or

2. enrolling the child in any school that non-homeless students who live in the attendance area in which the child or youth is actually living are eligible to attend.

For further assistance, contact either the school or the district office. 

Family Life & Sex Education Classes

Students will not be required to take or participate in any class or courses in comprehensive sex education, including in grades 6-12, instruction on both abstinence and contraception for the prevention of pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS; family life instruction, including in grades 6-12, instruction on the prevention, transmission, and spread of AIDS; instruction on diseases; recognizing and avoiding sexual abuse; or instruction on donor programs for organ/tissue, blood donor, and transplantation, if his or her parent or guardian submits a written objection. The parent or guardian’s decision will not be the reason for any student discipline, including suspension or expulsion. Nothing in this Section prohibits instruction in sanitation, hygiene or traditional courses in biology.

Parents or guardians may examine the instructional materials to be used in any district sex education class or course.

Multilingual Learners at East Maine School District 63 
East Maine School District 63's Multilingual Services Department is dedicated to fostering the academic success of English Language Learners. We provide engaging language development experiences to empower students on their journey to acquire English.

Determining English Language Services
When a new student enrolls in District 63, parents/guardians complete a Home Language Survey. If a language other than English is spoken at home, the student will take an English language screening assessment (WIDA Screener). This determines their level of English proficiency. If the screening indicates that the student qualifies for English services, parents/guardians will be informed. Please note that parents/guardians have the right to decline these services.

There are two different types of English learning services offered in District 63 - 

Multilingual Resource Services - For students eligible for Multilingual (English learning) support, instruction may be provided by a classroom teacher trained to work with English learners. Alternatively, a Multilingual Resource teacher may offer language instruction either in the classroom or through focused small-group sessions in a separate space. 

Dual Language Program - District 63 provides a One-Way Dual Language program for Spanish-speaking students. This program is offered at First Steps Early Learning Center for preschool-age students, and at Apollo and Nelson Schools for students in grades K-5. Students in grades 6-8 who have been in the dual language program enroll in the Spanish for Spanish Speakers elective course at Gemini Middle School. The dual language program provides students the opportunity to learn all subjects in both English and Spanish, with the aim of being fully bilingual and biliterate in both languages by the end of eighth grade. Students who qualify for the One-Way Dual Language program in grades preschool through fifth grade and attend Mark Twain, Melzer, or Washington Schools can still join the program. Free transportation to either Apollo or Nelson is provided. For further details, please contact your school's main office or the district office.

Annual WIDA ACCESS© Assessment
As required by Illinois, all students receiving Multilingual Resource Services or enrolled in the Dual Language program must take the annual WIDA ACCESS© English proficiency assessment. This standards-based assessment measures English Learners' social and academic language proficiency. Students who achieve an Overall Composite Proficiency Level of 4.8 or higher no longer qualify for English services and are eligible to transition out of the program. The WIDA ACCESS© assessment results are shared with parents each fall and are used by District 63 staff to guide instructional services and program placement.

For further information about Multilingual Services in District 63 or to provide program feedback, please contact:
Erin Sterling
Director of Multilingual Services
847.299.1900 x 8406

Assistant to the Director of Multilingual Services
847-299-1900 x 8421

School Visitation Rights

The School Visitation Rights Act permits employed parents/guardians, who are unable to meet with educators because of a work conflict, the right to time off from work under certain conditions to attend necessary school functions such as parent-teacher conferences, academic meetings and behavioral meetings. Letters verifying participation in this program are available from the school office upon request.

Pesticide Application Notice

The district maintains a registry of parents/guardians of students who have registered to receive written or telephone notification prior to the application of pesticides to school grounds. To be added to the list, please contact:

Anthony Bersani
Director of Operations
847.493.8404

Notification will be given before application of the pesticide. Prior notice is not required if there is an imminent threat to health or property.

Mandated Reporter

All school personnel, including teachers and administrators, are required by law to immediately report any and all suspected cases of child abuse or neglect to the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.

Unsafe School Choice Option

The unsafe school choice option allows students to transfer to another District school or to a public charter school within the District. The unsafe school choice option is available to: (1) All students attending a persistently dangerous school, as defined by State law and identified by the Illinois State Board of Education; and (2) Any student who is a victim of a violent criminal offense that occurred on school grounds during regular school hours or during a school-sponsored event.

Student Privacy

The District has adopted and uses several policies and procedures regarding student privacy, parental access to information and administration of certain physical examinations to students. Copies of these policies are available upon request.

Sex Offender Notification Law

State law prohibits a convicted child sex offender from being present on school property when children under the age of 18 are present, except for in the following circumstances as they relate to the individual’s child(ren):

1. To attend a conference at the school with school personnel to discuss the progress of their child.
2. To participate in a conference in which evaluation and placement decisions may be made with respect to their child’s special education services.
3. To attend conferences to discuss issues concerning their child, such as retention or promotion.

In all other cases, convicted child sex offenders are prohibited from being present on school property unless they obtain written permission from the superintendent or school board.

Anytime that a convicted child sex offender is present on school property for any reason – including the three reasons above – he/she is responsible for notifying the principal’s office upon arrival on school property and upon departure from school property. It is the responsibility of the convicted child sex offender to remain under the direct supervision of a school official at all times he/she is in the presence or vicinity of children.

A violation of this law is a Class 4 felony.

Information about sex offenders or violent offenders against youth is available to the public on the Illinois State Police (ISP) website. The ISP website contains the following:

Illinois Sex Offender Registry
Illinois Murderer and Violent Offender Against Youth Registry
Frequently Asked Questions Concerning Sex Offenders

State law requires schools to notify parents/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 Illinois Department of State Police (ISP) website.

Parent Notices Required by the Every Student Succeeds Act

Teacher Qualifications

1. Teacher Qualifications

A parent/guardian may request, and the District will provide in a timely manner, the professional qualifications of your student’s classroom teachers, including, at a minimum, whether:

1. The teacher has met the State qualifications and licensing criteria for the grade levels and subject areas in which the teacher provides instruction.
2. The teacher is teaching under emergency or other provisional status.
3. The teacher is teaching in the field of discipline of the certification of the teacher.
4. Paraprofessionals provide services to the student and, if so, their qualifications.

2. Testing Transparency

The State and District requires students to take certain standardized tests. For additional information, see handbook procedure 12:202

A parent/guardian may request, and the District will provide in a timely manner, information regarding student participation in any assessments mandated by law or District policy, which shall include information on any applicable right you may have to opt your student out of such assessment.

3. Annual Report Card

Each year, the District is required to disseminate an annual report card that includes information on the District as a whole and each school served by the District, with aggregate and disaggregated information for each required subgroup of students including: student achievement on academic assessments (designated by category), graduation rates, district performance, teacher qualifications, and certain other information required by federal law. Illinois Report Card - Find your School. 

4. Parent & Family Engagement Compact

Title I Parent and Family Engagement - The District maintains programs, activities, and procedures to engage parents/guardians and families of students receiving services or enrolled in Title I programs. These programs, activities, and procedures are described in District-level and School-level compacts.

More information can be found in Policy 6:170 Title I Programs, as well as  6:170-AP1.E1 District-Level Parent and Family Engagement Compact and 6:170-AP1.E2 School-Level Parent and Family Engagement Compact. 

5. Unsafe School Choice Option

The unsafe school choice option allows students to transfer to another District school or a public charter school within the District under certain circumstances. 

6. Student Privacy

Students have certain privacy protections under federal law. 

7. Multilingual Learners

The school offers opportunities for resident English Learners to achieve at high levels in academic subjects and to meet the same challenging State standards that all children are expected to meet.   

8. Homeless Students

Additional information is available on the website. 

For further information on any of the above matters, please contact the building principal.