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East Maine School District 63

Empowering all students to succeed in a changing world

DCFS

DCFS

DCFS in Buildings

If a DCFS representative comes to your building to interview a student, you must follow the following procedures.

  • Please notify your building principal, assistant principal, or school social worker immediately.
  • The DCFS employee checks in using the Visitor Aware kiosk as you would any other visitor to our buildings. 
  • DCFS employees may present another acceptable form of ID, but you must manually enter the Destination, First/Last Name, Address, Birthday, and Sex as required fields.  

  • Quick Reference for Visitor Aware

If a DCFS employee or local law enforcement authorities seek to interview a student at school suspected of being abused or neglected, they shall make a request to the building principal or the principal’s designee. 

  1. The school district should provide DCFS investigators and local law enforcement authorities reasonable access (without a court order) to a suspected victim of child abuse or neglect to interview the student at school. The principal or designee may insist upon their presence during the interview and condition the requested interview of the student at school on the principal’s or designee’s presence during the interview.

  2. The student may be interviewed at school upon presentation of a court order. If the interview takes place based on a court order, the principal or designee shall request a copy of the order. The presence of the principal or designee at the in-school interview shall be at the discretion of the DCFS employee(s) or law enforcement authorities. 

  3. After the interview has been conducted, the principal or designee may notify the student’s parent/guardian when appropriate (generally when the parent/guardian is not the subject of the investigation) of the fact that an interview was conducted but may not disclose any information about the interview.

If DCFS employees or law enforcement authorities seek to physically examine or photograph at school a student suspected of being abused or neglected, they shall request the principal or the principal’s designee and inform him or her of DCFS’s intent to secure photographs during the interview.

  1. The principal or designee may grant the request (without a court order) if he or she believes there is a reasonable explanation for conducting the examination at school. The principal’s decision as to whether or not to grant the request shall take into consideration the sex of the student and the examiner; the age, maturity, and sensitivities of the student, including the student’s willingness to be examined and/or photographed; and the location of the trauma and its seriousness. The presence of the principal or designee at the examination and photographing shall be at the discretion of the DCFS or law enforcement agent. If the principal or designee is present during the examination or photographing, they shall not participate in the examination or photographing of the student. 

  2. Examination or photographing of the student at school shall be allowed upon presentation of a court order or administrative subpoena. The presence of the principal or designee at the photographing or examination shall be at the discretion of the DCFS employee or law enforcement agent. If the principal or designee is present at the examination or photographing, he or she shall not participate in the examination or photographing of the student. If the examination or photographing takes place based upon a court order, the principal or designee shall request a copy of the order. 

  3. The principal or principal’s designee may notify the student’s parent/guardian of the fact of the examination or photographing session after it has occurred but shall not otherwise disclose information about the occurrence. 

(Information from Illinois Council of School Attorneys: Guidelines for Interviews of Students at School by Law Enforcement Authorities)

If law enforcement authorities assume temporary custody of a student at school pursuant to the Juvenile Court Act, or if a local law enforcement agent or a DCFS employee assumes temporary protective custody pursuant to the Illinois Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act, the principal or principal’s designee shall request that the DCFS or law enforcement agent: (1) sign an appropriate document memorializing that fact, before assuming custody; or (2) provide permission for the school official to create a copy of the documentation presented authorizing the temporary custody of the student.

Guidelines from our attorney

#2 is the most important. You can’t make someone sign something they don’t want to sign, so try #1, but don’t push it. But you can require them to give you an ID for copying before they get the student. The main thing is to get a record of the ID of the person who takes the student so we can prove we didn’t just give him to a stranger. You can make your own record of the fact that they took custody of the student and preserve the security video of the DCFS employee entering and leaving with the student.

  • If a DCFS employee or local law enforcement authorities seek to interview a student at school suspected of being abused or neglected, they shall make a request to the building principal or the principal’s designee. 

    1. The school district should provide DCFS investigators and local law enforcement authorities reasonable access (without a court order) to a suspected victim of child abuse or neglect to interview the student at school. The principal or designee may insist upon their presence during the interview and condition the requested interview of the student at school on the principal’s or designee’s presence during the interview.

    2. The student may be interviewed at school upon presentation of a court order. If the interview takes place based on a court order, the principal or designee shall request a copy of the order. The presence of the principal or designee at the in-school interview shall be at the discretion of the DCFS employee(s) or law enforcement authorities. 

    3. After the interview has been conducted, the principal or designee may notify the student’s parent/guardian when appropriate (generally when the parent/guardian is not the subject of the investigation) of the fact that an interview was conducted but may not disclose any information about the interview.

  • If DCFS employees or law enforcement authorities seek to physically examine or photograph at school a student suspected of being abused or neglected, they shall request the principal or the principal’s designee and inform him or her of DCFS’s intent to secure photographs during the interview.

    1. The principal or designee may grant the request (without a court order) if he or she believes there is a reasonable explanation for conducting the examination at school. The principal’s decision as to whether or not to grant the request shall take into consideration the sex of the student and the examiner; the age, maturity, and sensitivities of the student, including the student’s willingness to be examined and/or photographed; and the location of the trauma and its seriousness. The presence of the principal or designee at the examination and photographing shall be at the discretion of the DCFS or law enforcement agent. If the principal or designee is present during the examination or photographing, they shall not participate in the examination or photographing of the student. 

    2. Examination or photographing of the student at school shall be allowed upon presentation of a court order or administrative subpoena. The presence of the principal or designee at the photographing or examination shall be at the discretion of the DCFS employee or law enforcement agent. If the principal or designee is present at the examination or photographing, he or she shall not participate in the examination or photographing of the student. If the examination or photographing takes place based upon a court order, the principal or designee shall request a copy of the order. 

    3. The principal or principal’s designee may notify the student’s parent/guardian of the fact of the examination or photographing session after it has occurred but shall not otherwise disclose information about the occurrence. 

    (Information from Illinois Council of School Attorneys: Guidelines for Interviews of Students at School by Law Enforcement Authorities)

  • If law enforcement authorities assume temporary custody of a student at school pursuant to the Juvenile Court Act, or if a local law enforcement agent or a DCFS employee assumes temporary protective custody pursuant to the Illinois Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act, the principal or principal’s designee shall request that the DCFS or law enforcement agent: (1) sign an appropriate document memorializing that fact, before assuming custody; or (2) provide permission for the school official to create a copy of the documentation presented authorizing the temporary custody of the student.

    Guidelines from our attorney

    #2 is the most important. You can’t make someone sign something they don’t want to sign, so try #1, but don’t push it. But you can require them to give you an ID for copying before they get the student. The main thing is to get a record of the ID of the person who takes the student so we can prove we didn’t just give him to a stranger. You can make your own record of the fact that they took custody of the student and preserve the security video of the DCFS employee entering and leaving with the student.