Operations

ATTENDANCE AND ABSENCES (see also TARDINESS, TRUANCY, HEALTH SERVICES) Regular, on-time attendance is essential for a student’s academic success, personal development, and future readiness. Consistent attendance supports better academic performance, fosters responsibility and strong habits, and promotes social and emotional growth through regular interaction with peers. It also prepares students for the expectations of higher education and the workforce, where reliability is crucial. Additionally, regular attendance fulfills legal requirements under Illinois School Code Section 22-92, reinforcing both ethical and civic responsibilities. Students are required by law to be in school each day, with some exceptions. Reasons for absence: Valid causes for absence include illness (including mental or behavioral health of the student), observance of religious holidays, death in the immediate family, family emergencies, situations beyond the student’s control as determined by the principal, and other circumstances that cause reasonable concern to the parent/guardian for the student’s mental, emotional, or physical health or safety. If a student is absent due to illness for more than ten (10) days, arrangements for an alternative education program may be requested with the building nurse.

ABSENCE REPORTING
Please call the school attendance line as soon as possible each morning any day your child will be absent or tardy.
Kindergarten Center 630-534-7210
Abraham Lincoln 630-534-7202
Benjamin Franklin 630-534-7203
Churchill 630-534-7204
Forest Glen 630-534-7205
Hadley 630-534-7201

The school will check on absent or tardy students for whom it has not received a call. A child who is absent or tardy without a valid reason may be considered chronically absent or truant. Truancy may result in disciplinary and/or legal action in accordance with policies of the district and state law. Vacations during the school year are unexcused absences and are discouraged. If a student is absent for a vacation, assignments will be given after the absence. (7:70)

ABSENCE DUE TO ILLNESS
Students should not return to school until free of fever greater than 100.4, vomiting, and/or diarrhea for a full 24 hours without the use of medication. If it is necessary for a student to go home from school, the nurse or school secretary will make all arrangements. Students may not make their own arrangements to go home. Please make sure that the emergency numbers on file at the school are up to date; these include home phone numbers and a number where a parent or neighbor can be reached if necessary. Students will be released only to a parent or designee for whom the school has authorization on file. Proof of identity will be required.

MAKING UP WORK
It is the student’s responsibility to make up any work missed due to absence. Parents may call the school to request homework in the case of a student illness or family emergency. Requests should be made when the attendance call is placed. Work may be picked up at the school office after school on the day the request is made. (6:150, 7:70)

The Board of Education meets regularly and encourages parents and community members to attend meetings. BOE materials are posted online. Each BOE member has a district email account to facilitate communication with constituents. BOE members are unpaid elected volunteers, each of whom represents the district as a whole. The BOE makes decisions only as a unit. (2:10–2:250E3)

District 41 boundaries are roughly North Avenue (Rt. 64) on the north, Roosevelt Road (Rt. 38) on the south, Route 53 on the east, and President Avenue on the west. This area includes parts of Carol Stream, Glendale Heights, Glen Ellyn, Lombard and Wheaton.

The district budget is the culmination of a year-long planning process. The budget lays out how the district intends to support studentlearning goals, maintain its buildings and grounds, provide supplies and equipment and pay for needed staff. It is a spending plan for the fiscal year of July 1-June 30, and the Board of Education may discuss, review and amend expenditures. The board must approve the annual budget no later than Sept. 30, after a period during which the budget is on public display at the Central Services Office and posted on www.d41.org. Budget adoption by the board is preceded by a public hearing, which is publicized in the local press and posted on www.d41.org. (4:10, 4:60)

The district calendar is posted on www.d41.org. The online event calendar provides information for each school. The district makes every effort to avoid changing dates, but dates are subject to change. The last day of school can only be tentatively set because it depends on how many emergency days are used during the year. Please keep this in mind when making summer plans.

The YMCA and the Glen Ellyn Park District offer before and after school care for students at elementary buildings and the Kindergarten Center; all district students may enroll although space is limited. You may contact B.R. Ryall YMCA at (630) 858-0100 or www.brryallymca.org, or the Glen Ellyn Park District at (630) 858-2462 or www.gepark.org for more information. The Glen Ellyn Children’s Resource Center also offers after-school programming for eligible children. Unsupervised children are not allowed in the building outside school hours.

Illinois law gives non-custodial parents the same rights to student records as custodial parents including the right to copies of notices, calendars, conferences, report cards and other communications, unless a court issues an order limiting those rights. Non-custodial parents must request such communications in writing and include a correct address and telephone number. Forms are provided for this purpose during registration but non-custodial parents who do not have access to registration materials may send their request by letter. All normal safety procedures apply to custodial and non-custodial parents and the school will not release a child into the custody of any person unless they are on file as having permission and present appropriate identification. If custody issues are a concern in your family, inform your principal. (8:95AP)

If you must bring school materials or lunches to school during the day, please deliver them to the school office in order to minimize disruptions to the instructional program.

Each school has a safety plan covering routine and emergency safety issues. Schools plan for traffic and pedestrian safety on their campuses during school hours, provide proper supervision of students, and monitor access to their buildings. The police or fire department representative, the superintendent, or a designee will serve as the official spokesperson in a crisis. Every reasonable effort will be made to inform parents/guardians including individual PTA, the emergency automated telephone message system, e-news, the media, and www.d41.org. (4:170, 8:30)

Illinois law allows school districts to assess fees to help offset certain costs, such as books, supplies and activities. If paying fees is difficult, the district can work out a payment plan or you may be eligible for a fee waiver. (4:140)

The Superintendent has appointed a liaison to facilitate the enrollment and transfer of records of students in the legal custody of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services when enrolling in or changing schools. Contact: Kristin Williams

Students should not promote fundraising activities by non-school sponsored groups. Fundraising plans approved by the principal shall be submitted to the superintendent for approval. (7:325)

Homeless children are provided equal access to the district’s educational programs in accordance with the McKinney-Vento Act and state law. District procedures are intended to remove barriers to enrollment by homeless children. Families who may qualify for homeless services should contact their principal or school social worker. Information on education rights of homeless students are posted on www.d41.org or may be obtained from your school or by contacting the district’s homeless liaison Geri Adkins  at (630) 534-7340. Students who may be eligible for homeless services may include those who are living in a shelter, motel, vehicle or campground, on the street, in an inadequate accommodation, doubled up with friends or relatives, or waiting for foster-care placement. (6:140)

Personal items left at school and found by staff are placed in the “lost and found” area. Eyeglasses, keys, jewelry, money or other valuables are kept in the office and can be reclaimed there following appropriate identification. For health, safety and storage reasons, unclaimed items are given to charitable organizations periodically throughout the year.

A note from a parent/guardian or physician may be required to re-admit a child after an absence, to excuse tardiness and for other reasons established by the principal. A doctor’s note may be required to excuse a child from physical activity—please check with the school nurse.

Due to safety and health concerns, pets should not be brought to school or school grounds before, during or after school unless the principal has granted permission. If you walk your dog as you accompany children to or from school, please do not bring your dog on school property. Some children are scared of dogs and even the friendliest dogs can be startled by groups of children. (8:200)

Students residing in District 41 during the school year are eligible to register. (Other guidelines pertain to residency for special education, homeless, foster care, victims of a violent crime, and new students, which can be found in Board Policies). Proof of residency is required annually. Generally, Illinois law provides that the residence of a student is deemed to be the same as the residence of the person who has legal custody of the student and permits only students who are residents of the school district to enroll and attend on a tuition-free basis. The dependent of U.S. military personnel who is housed in temporary housing located outside of the district may enroll if the dependent will be living within the district within six months after the time of initial enrollment and the military personnel seeking to enroll the dependent provides proof that the dependent will be living within the boundaries of the district within six months. If a student’s change of residence is due to military service obligation of the person with legal custody of a student, he/she may, with a written request from the legal custodian, maintain residency as determined prior to the military obligation. The person claiming legal custody must also reside in the school district. The superintendent may investigate and determine the residency of any student before or after enrollment in accordance with the applicable provisions of Illinois. If the superintendent determines that the student is not a resident, the superintendent will take appropriate action which may include refusing to enroll or dis-enrolling the student. Illinois law has made it a crime to knowingly present false residency information for purposes of enabling that student to attend on a tuition-free basis or to knowingly enroll or attempt to enroll a student on a tuition-free basis when the student is known to be a non-resident of the district. If you have questions about eligibility, please contact the administration. Students must be registered prior to attending class, and registration may take place at any time during the year online or at school. New students must present a certified copy of their government-issued birth certificate; the Missing Child Act requires the district to notify the police if it does not receive this documentation within 30 days of a child’s enrollment. Certain fees apply. (7:60)

Safety drills are held at various times during the school year. Such drills are necessary for the safety of the students. There will be a minimum of three (3) evacuation drills, a minimum of one (1) severe weather drill, a minimum of one (1) law enforcement active threat drill to address a school shooting incident, and a minimum of one (1) bus evacuation drill each school year. The law enforcement active threat drill will be announced in advance and a student’s parent/guardian may elect to exclude their child from participating in this drill by contacting your school principal. For more information, see Board Policy 4:170.

To maintain order and security in the schools, school authorities may conduct reasonable searches of school property and equipment, as well as of students and their personal effects. “School authorities” includes school liaison police officers. (7:140)

No person on school property or at a school event shall smoke or otherwise use tobacco products.

Students are expected to be in class and ready to learn when the bell rings. Students not in their classrooms will be marked tardy. Please call the school if you know your child will be tardy or send a note the day before. Children arriving late must first go to the office. An adult should sign in students who are more than 10 minutes tardy at the school office; if not, the parents will be called. Chronic tardiness will be addressed by administration. Students arriving more than 60 minutes after the start of the school day are considered half-day absent. (See Truancy)

Telephone calls to the school requesting that messages from parents be delivered to students should be restricted to emergency situations. Students’ use of school telephones is also restricted to emergency situations.

Textbooks are the property of District 41 and must be returned to the teachers at the end of the school year. If books are lost or damaged beyond ordinary wear, students will be assessed the fair value of the textbook.

The district is responsible for monitoring and addressing truancy. A “truant” is defined as a student subject to compulsory school attendance who is absent without valid cause for all or part of a school day. To fulfill this obligation, the district must implement procedures to identify the causes of truancy and provide appropriate interventions. This includes tracking and categorizing students as truants, chronic or habitual truants, or truant minors, and conducting interviews with students, families, and staff to uncover underlying issues. Support services—such as counseling and parent-teacher conferences—must be offered, and chronic absence data regularly reviewed to improve attendance and student engagement. If truancy continues after these efforts, the district may request assistance from the DuPage Regional Office of Education (ROE). Contact your school administrator if you need assistance in supporting truancy. (7:70)

Walking to school promotes physical fitness, independence and responsibility, is environmentally desirable and eases congestion around our schools. Here are some tips for safe walking: establish a safe route with your child and practice it, reinforce safe walking procedures such as looking both ways at intersections and no dawdling. Encourage your child to walk with a buddy or two.

If you are planning to move, please let the school office know as soon as possible. Withdrawing from school must be made in writing. Student records will be forwarded to another district upon written request.