Accelerated Placement Program

Per CCSD 89 Board Policy 6:135 (Accelerated Placement Program)

The district provides an Accelerated Placement Program (APP). APP options include, but may not be limited to: (a) accelerating a student in a single subject; (b) other grade-level acceleration; and (c) early entrance to kindergarten or first grade. Participation in the APP is open to all students who demonstrate high ability and who may benefit from accelerated placement. It is not limited to students who have been identified as gifted and talented.

Eligibility to participate in the District’s APP shall not be conditioned upon the protected classifications identified in Board Policy 7:10 (Equal Educational Opportunities) or any factor other than the student’s identification as an accelerated learner.  The district has the flexibility to establish the criteria for the APP, and design local education policy and instructional programs. Based on such criteria, policies, and programs, the district reserves the right to make the final determination regarding a student’s placement after fair and equitable review.

Administrative Transfers for Students

CCSD 89 policies 7:30 and 7:30-R (Student Assignment and Intra-District Transfer) provide administrative guidance in assigning new student enrollments to schools when class sizes are capped at elementary schools. When an elementary school’s class sizes and sections are capped at the maximum enrollments, new students may be administratively transferred to another school with lower class sizes and available space. Transportation will be provided. The regulation is intended to balance elementary class sizes and make the best use of district resources.

Should an opening become available during the school year, the first student moved out will be the first contacted to return to the original home school. The parent may elect to leave the student at the newly assigned school, return the student immediately to the home school, or inform the principal their child will return to the home school beginning the following academic year.

Entrance Requirements

Per CCSD 89 Board Policy 7:50 (School Admissions and Student Transfers To and From Non-District Schools)

To enter kindergarten, a child must be 5 years of age on or before September 1 of the current school term. First graders must be 6 years of age on or before September 1. To enroll in CCSD 89 preschool, children must be at least 3 years of age by September 1. Parents/guardians must also prove residency in the district and provide proof of vaccinations and/or physical exam, when applicable. Within 30 days of a student enrolling in the district, parents/guardians must supply the district with a certified copy of the child’s birth certificate.

Equal Education Opportunity

Per CCSD 89 Board Policy 7:10 (Equal Education Policies)

Equal educational and extracurricular opportunities shall be available for all students without regard to color, race, nationality, religion, sex, sexual orientation, ancestry, age, physical or mental disability, gender identity, status of being homeless, immigration status, order of protection status, actual or potential marital status, including pregnancy. Equal educational opportunities shall include all programs, activities, extra-curricular programs, and services or benefits offered by the district, as well as designated youth groups as outlined in Board Policy 8:20 (Community Use of School Facilities). The CCSD 89 Board of Education provides a uniform grievance procedure (as outlined in Board Policy 2:260, Uniform Grievance Procedure) for any individual who alleges a violation of this policy. Further information regarding this policy can be found on the district’s website, www.ccsd89.org/board.

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.

Open Boundary Enrollment

Per CCSD 89 Board Policy 7:30 (Student Assignment and Intra-District Transfer)

Parents may request that their child be transferred to a CCSD 89 elementary school outside their attendance area. Applications for school reassignment are available in each school office. Completed applications shall be received annually from May 9 through May 20 (date and time stamped by the school office on the day received) by the school to which the parent is seeking their child’s reassignment. Consideration shall be given to requests on a first-come, space-available basis. Parents may not receive a final decision regarding open boundary reassignment until the sixth day of enrollment. District transportation will not be provided for students who have chosen to attend a school other than the one designated to serve that part of the district in which the student resides. Reassignment will normally permit continued enrollment until the child completes fifth grade.

Student Fees

Textbooks and supplies are provided to students on a fee basis. Refunds of fees are made on a quarterly basis. No refunds are made during the final quarter of the school year.

Each year upon registering your child, the district assesses fees that are customarily collected to defray the cost of textbooks, instructional materials, etc. Fines for the abuse of books used by a student are made according to the teachers’ and principal’s judgment. Textbooks may be withheld for non-payment of rental fees or fines.

The loan of textbooks shall be made in accordance with the rental fee set annually by the Board. Textbooks must be replaced at the current cost if a student loses a textbook or damages it beyond reasonable repair and/or usefulness. All books must be returned at the end of a school year.

There is a process for securing a waiver of fees for eligible families. Generally, families who are eligible for such a waiver would include, but not be limited to, those who qualify for free lunches. If you have any questions about this subject, please call the school office.

Fees for textbooks and other instructional materials are waived for students who meet the eligibility criteria for a fee waiver as described in Board Policy 4:140 (Waiver of Student Fees). In order that no student is denied educational services or academic credit due to the inability of parents/guardians to pay student fees, the following fees are also waived for students who meet the eligibility criteria for fee waiver: athletic participation fees, lock fees, towel fees, shop fees, laboratory fees, and registration fees.

Students receiving a fee waiver are not exempt from charges for lost and damaged books, locks, materials, supplies, and equipment.

Eligibility Criteria

A student shall be eligible for a fee and fine waiver when: 1) The student currently lives in a household that meets the same income guidelines, with the same limits based on household size, that are used for the federal free meals program; 2) The student’s guardians are veterans or active-duty military personnel with income at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty line; or 3) The student is homeless, as defined in the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.

 The superintendent or designee will give additional consideration where one or more of the following factors are present: 1) Illness in the family; 2) Unusual expenses such as fire, flood, storm damage, etc.; 3) Unemployment; 4) Emergency situations; 5) When one or more of the parents/guardians are involved in a work stoppage.

The fee-waiver application can be found at www.ccsd89.org/feewaiver

Student Registration

All students will be registered online through a secure, online registration program. Each returning student will be assigned a unique “SnapCode” (access code), which is mailed to his or her home.

Once received, guardians can begin the registration process by creating an account with a password.

Guardians will use the individual “SnapCode” to register each child in the family under this account. Students are not fully enrolled until parents/guardians complete the full online form and submit the information. Payment may be made online or by personal check at the school office.

More information is available at www.ccsd89.org/register.