SECTION 4000 STUDENTS ENROLLMENT AND ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS 4100 Entrance Requirements 4105 Entrance to high school shall be granted to students who have been certified as having graduated from elementary education by elementary school district officials. Attendance - Residency Requirements 4110 A. General Education Community High School District 155 serves students who reside within the boundaries established for Community High School District 155. A minor student enrolling in a District 155 school must be permanently residing with an adult who is a resident within the District's boundaries and who has legal custody of the student as set forth in the Illinois School Code. 1. In cases involving families delayed from moving into District 155 by the first day of a semester, where a real estate purchase agreement, rental agreement, or other appropriate documentation is provided showing the parents' clear intent to become permanent residents of District 155, the Superintendent may allow the student(s) to enroll and attend a school for a period not to exceed the first 30 calendar days of the first quarter of the semester. However, a tuition charge will be assessed in accordance with the Illinois School Code for the number of days the student is enrolled prior to becoming a full-time resident. Should residency not be established by end of the thirty calendar days, the student(s) shall be dropped from enrollment and not permitted further attendance. 2. Community High School District 155 does not accept tuition students who reside outside the boundaries of the school district, except as specifically described in this policy. If District 155 denies enrollment to a student attempting to enroll in school or if District 155 determines that a student who is attending a District 155 school has not established legal residency, District 155 will provide notice of such determination and an opportunity for the student/guardian to appeal the determination as provided in the Illinois School Code. Students who are not yet enrolled, yet who are denied enrollment, shall not attend a District 155 school pending resolution of the dispute. Students already enrolled who fail to meet the residency requirements will be charged tuition based upon the number of days the student was enrolled and the student will be ineligible to continue as a student in the district. 3. The Board of Education shall establish the boundaries for each attendance center. A student, who is eligible to enroll in District 155, shall attend only at the attendance center the boundaries of which include the student's residence. Transfer within the
District from one attendance center to another may be approved on a case-by-case basis based upon the Superintendent's or Superintendent's designee's determination that a change from strict compliance with this policy is both necessary and in the best interests of the student. The student/guardian has the burden of providing documentation or information to the principal of the attendance center the student wishes to attend to establish the necessity for the transfer. Nothing therein shall limit the authority of the Superintendent and Board to review each circumstance and refuse the transfer. 4. A student who meets all of the residency requirements for attendance in a District 155 school, and whose parent(s) or person(s) having legal custody move(s) from one district attendance center to another, but still resides within the boundaries of District 155, may remain in his/her then present school if the student is entering or in his/her senior year (as determined by credits). The District will not provide transportation to and from school for a student not residing within the boundary of the school in which the student attends. 5. Students must be enrolled on a full-time basis, except students who have individualized education plans that allow enrollment on a less than full time basis. 6. When a student s change of residence is due to the military service obligation of the student s legal custodian, the student s residence is deemed to be unchanged for the duration of the custodian s military service obligation if the student s custodian made written request. The District, however, is not responsible for the student s transportation to or from school. 7. Transfer students must be enrolled in one of the District 155 high schools for more than one semester to be eligible for a diploma from a District 155 school. For students who do not meet this requirement, the transferring school will issue the diploma. Should there be conflict with another school's policy, the District 155 administration will act in the best interests of the student subject to review by and a final determination of the Superintendent. 8. A student seeking transfer into District 155 must be in good standing from the district the student last attended. A student seeking transfer into District 155 must serve the entire term of any suspension or expulsion imposed for any reason by any public or private school, in this or any other state, before being admitted into District 155. 9. A regular education student who is homeless shall be considered a resident of the District if he or she is physically living within the District boundaries. In addition, pursuant to the Education for Homeless Children Act (105 ILCS 45/1-1 et seq.), a homeless student will be considered a resident of the District if the student attended, or was enrolled in a school in the District when he or she was last permanently housed.
10. The Superintendent shall appoint a Homeless Liaison, who will be responsible for identifying homeless children and youth and ensuring that homeless children and youth have access to the educational services they need. The Homeless Liaison also will assist in mediating residency disputes regarding homeless children and youth. In the event that the District denies enrollment to a homeless student as defined herein, such student may appeal the decision to the Homeless Liaison, who is responsible for carrying out dispute resolution. The Homeless Liaison shall immediately refer the student or parents to the ombudsperson for homeless children appointed by the Regional Superintendent of Schools and provide the child or his or her parent or guardian with a written statement of the basis for the denial. The child shall be admitted and transported to the school chosen by the parent or guardian until final resolution of the dispute. The ombudsperson shall convene a meeting of all parties and attempt to resolve the dispute within five (5) school days after receiving notice of the dispute. B. Special Education A student for whom special education services and facilities are to be provided by the District shall be considered a resident in accordance with the following: 1. The student s parent or guardian resides in the District and a. the parent has legal guardianship; or b. an individual guardian has been appointed by the courts; or c. an Illinois public agency has legal guardianship and the student resides either in the home of the parent or within the same district as the parent; or d. an Illinois court orders a residential placement but the parents retain legal guardianship. In cases of divorced or separated parents, when only one parent has legal guardianship or custody, the district in which the parent having legal guardianship or custody resides is the resident district. When both parents retain legal guardianship or custody, the resident district is the district in which either parent who provides the student s primary regular fixed night-time abode resides; provided that the election of resident district may be made only one time per school year. 2. The student resides in the District and a. the parent has legal guardianship but the location of the parent is unknown; or b. an individual guardian has been appointed but the location of the guardian is unknown; or c. the student is 18 years of age or older and no legal guardian has been appointed; or d. the student is legally an emancipated minor; or e. an Illinois public agency has legal guardianship and has placed the student residentially outside of the school district in which the parent lives.
In cases where an Illinois public agency has legal guardianship and has placed the student residentially outside of Illinois, the last school district of student residence for at least 45 days shall continue to be the district of residence until the student is no longer under guardianship of an Illinois public agency or until the student is returned to Illinois. 3. The student is homeless, as defined in Section A of the policy, and enrolls in the district. Planned Absences For Family Vacations 4115 Community High School District 155 does not condone absences due to family vacationing. Where such absences do occur the full responsibility for academic progress is that of the student and the parents. Teachers will not be responsible for tutoring or providing makeup privileges; however, makeup tests and assignments may be obtained from the teacher at the teacher's convenience. When such absences must occur, the building administration must be notified well in advance. Attendance - Truancy 4120 The School Board supports the principle that local school districts must have the responsibility for matters pertaining to student attendance. Further, the Board recognizes the following definitions: Truant - a child subject to compulsory school attendance and who is absent without valid cause from such attendance for a school day or portion thereof. Valid cause - A child may be absent from school because of illness, observance of a religious holiday, death in the immediate family, family emergency, situations beyond the control of the student as determined by the School Board or such other circumstances which cause reasonable concern to the parent for the safety or health or the student. Chronic or habitual truant - a child who is subject to compulsory school attendance and who is absent without valid cause from such attendance for ten percent or more of the previous 180 regular attendance days. Truant minor - A child to whom supportive services, including prevention, diagnostic, intervention, and remedial services, alternative programs and other school and community resources have been provided and have failed to result in the cessation of chronic truancy or have been offered and refused. The following supportive services may be offered to a student who is experiencing an attendance problem: parent-teacher conferences
counseling services by social workers counseling services by guidance counselors health evaluation by school nurse psychological testing alternative educational programs alternative school placement community agency services When the supportive services of the school district have been offered to the student and if these measures prove ineffective and the behavior persists, the Building Principal shall refer the matter to the Superintendent. The Superintendent may call upon the resources of outside agencies such as the Juvenile Officer of the local police department or the Truant Office of the Educational Service Region of McHenry County. The School Board, Superintendent, school district administrators and teachers shall assist and furnish such information as they have to aid truant officers in the performance of their duties. Dropouts between the ages of 17-18 may apply to the school district for status as a truant and be permitted to participate in the district's various programs for truants. A student will not be granted makeup privileges any time he/she has been truant.