Regular school attendance promotes academic success. It is the policy of the Board of Education both to enforce the compulsory education requirements of the State of Illinois and to encourage regularity of attendance to ensure the maximum educational benefit for students. Students are expected to be in school daily except in case of illness, family emergency or other valid cause. Please call the school office before 8:00 a.m. when your child will be absent. Attendance line phone numbers. If students are not in their classroom when the tardy bell rings, they must report to the office to get a pass. If they arrive on school grounds after 8:00 a.m., parents must escort them to the office to sign them in. They will be listed as tardy. If for any reason your child needs to be dismissed from school at a time other than the regular dismissal time, please send a note to the classroom teacher. If you are picking your child up during school hours, please report to the office and sign out your child.
The State of Illinois has requirements for daily attendance
Kindergarten & Grade 1:
Full Attendance Day: 4 clock hours (less than 240 minutes is counted as a half-day)
Half Attendance Day: 2.5 clock hours (less than 120 minutes is counted as absent)
Grades 2 - 5:
Full Attendance Day: 5 clock hours (less than 300 minutes is counted as a half-day)
Half Attendance Day: 2.5 clock hours (less than 150 minutes is counted as absent)
NOTE: Lunch and recess times may NOT be included in the minimum time requirements for students)
If a student is to be absent from school for any reason other than his/her illness, family emergency or other valid cause in the immediate family, the following procedures will be followed at the elementary schools:
At the request of the parent/guardian, teachers may provide or suggest supplemental reading, writing, or worksheets in advance. However, students will be given the actual class work and materials covered during the absence upon the student’s return. Students will be provided with time equivalent to the time of absence to complete the work for credit.
It is requested that only those students who live a considerable distance from school ride bicycles to school. It is recommended that all bikes be locked. Children in kindergarten may not ride their bicycles to school. Students in grades 1-5 may do so with parent permission. These regulations have been made to avoid bicycle accidents and alleviate congestion around the school. Students are encouraged to wear appropriate safety equipment, including bicycle helmets, whenever they ride bikes to school.
Due to student allergies and fears, pets are not allowed on school property during school hours or at drop-off and pick-up.
Directory Information/Photographs of Students
Geneva School District has designated certain student record information as “directory information.” In compliance with state law, directory information may be released to the public without prior written consent unless you as parent/guardian request that any or all such information on your child not be released.
The primary purpose of directory information is to allow the School District to include this type of information in school publications, including yearbooks, playbills, school newspapers, sports programs, honor rolls, graduation programs, District publications, newsletters, district-sponsored social media, and websites.
The following information has been designated as “directory information:”
Name; local student identifier (Student ID); email address; address; telephone number; date and place of birth; photograph/video; major field of study; participation in officially recognized activities and sports; height and weight (if a member of an athletic team); dates of attendance; grade level, date of graduation; awards received; honor rolls; and scholarships.
The State of Illinois requires that student teachers submit video clips of their teaching and samples of student work for assessment by professional evaluators. In fulfilling this requirement, your child may be filmed. The materials gathered are submitted securely to electronic platforms maintained by Pearson, where only scorers may securely access them. No student’s name will appear on any submitted materials, and materials will be kept confidential.
For more information about directory information and its uses, see Board of Education Policy 7:340 Student Records. If you do not want the School District to disclose directory information concerning your child, in its entirety or in part, please indicate it in a letter to your school’s principal. Upon receipt, school personnel will make reasonable efforts to comply with the request. In the event that a child is photographed and releases his or her own name to a non-school photographer, the district will not be responsible for the subsequent publication of the student’s name. To promote healthy choices and support a culture of wellness in our schools, along with our concern for children with food allergies, diabetes, and other dietary restrictions, Geneva elementary schools do not allow birthday treats in the form of food items. Additionally, food may not be used as a reward or incentive for student achievement.
While we enjoy celebrating student birthdays, we are no longer able to share any food items. If parents feel that they still want to send a non-edible “treat,” birthday items can include things like fun pencils or erasers, a gift for the classroom, stickers, etc. Parents should check with their child’s teacher to see if classroom-specific procedures are already in place for birthday celebrations prior to sending in non-edible treats.
Parent/guardian-provided healthy daily snacks are allowed if the teacher has a designated snack time of a child has a medical condition that necessitates eating in the classroom. Snack should be consumed only by their child and not shared with other children. Peanut and tree nut snacks should be avoided. Additional restrictions may be necessary due to medical diagnoses within the classroom.
Food will continue to be allowed at the PTO sponsored Halloween and Winter Holiday classroom parties. The ingredient lists for food at these two parties will be shared with all parents in advance by the classroom teacher to ensure the safety of all students with food allergies or other health concerns.
Incorporating food in the curriculum will, in general, be avoided, however there may be a need in some instances to have food in the curriculum. For food used in curricular activities, the teacher will provide ingredient lists and advance notice to all parents to ensure that the curricular activity poses no risk to any students. Additional restrictions may be necessary due to medical diagnoses within the classroom.
Upon written notice from a student’s parent/guardian, a student will be excused from engaging in the physical activity components of physical education during a period of religious fasting. For other exemptions please see Board Policy 7:260 Students are required to wear appropriate athletic shoes for PE. Appropriate footwear helps ensure safety for students during the physical activity during PE. Students may not be permitted to participate in some activities if they do not have appropriate footwear. It is highly recommended that students keep a pair of athletic shoes at school. All PE shoes should have the student’s last name printed visibly on the outside.
The Board of Education has established Policy 7:340 *: Student Records to ensure the privacy of student educational records as required by federal and state law. A student record is the written history of the performance and activities of each child enrolled in school. This individual record will contain all the state and federal-mandated information and any other information necessary to evaluate a student’s progress. Student records are divided into two parts: the permanent record, which is kept for at least 60 years, and the temporary record, which is retained for five years after the student’s class graduates from high school.
Parents/Guardians of students under 18 have the right to inspect student education records (permanent and temporary). Copies may be obtained for a nominal fee.
All school records will be maintained under the student’s legal name. A name may be changed on school records only by a court order presented to the school.For more information regarding student records, see Board of Education Policy 7:340: Student Records. Permanent records include the following information:
Basic identifying information, including student’s name and address, birth date and place, gender, and the names and addresses of the student’s parents.
Temporary records may include the following information:
A record of release of temporary record information
- Scores received on the State assessment tests administered in elementary grade levels
- Completed home language survey form
- Information regarding serious disciplinary infractions that resulted in expulsion, suspension, or imposition of punishment or sanction
- Information provided under the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act
- Any biometric information
- Health-related information
- Family background information
- Reports of psychological evaluations
- Elementary and secondary achievement level test results
- Participation in extracurricular activities, including any offices held in school-sponsored clubs or organizations (may alternatively be included in permanent record)
- Honors and awards received (may alternatively be included in permanent record)
- Teacher anecdotal records
- Other disciplinary information
- Special education and Section 504 Plan records
- Any verified reports or information from non-educational persons, agencies, or organizations of clear relevance to the education of the student
- E-mail and correspondence records which contain student’s personally identifiable information
- Residency and enrollment documents
- Summer school/ESY records
- Signed Student/Parent Handbook or other Policy Acknowledgement forms.
- Authorizations, waivers, and/or request forms (i.e., for field trips, free and reduced lunch, medication administration, etc.).
- Investigation determination letters
- Report cards and progress reports
Release of Information to Non-Custodial Parent
Upon the written request of either parent of a student whose parents are divorced, copies of the following, which are furnished by the School District to the custodial parent, will be mailed to the non-custodial parent:
- Reports or records which reflect the student’s academic progress
- Reports of the student’s emotional and physical health
- Notices of school-initiated parent-teacher conference
- Notices of major school-sponsored events, such as open houses, which involve student-parent interaction
- Copies of the school calendar
The request needs to be made annually and will be denied in cases where a court order states records may not be sent.
All visitors must report to the school building’s main office.
When entering any Geneva school, all visitors are required to present a valid driver’s license or other state-issued identification. The identification presented will be held in the main office and will be returned when the visitor leaves the building. The building secretary will enter the identification into the Raptor V-Soft Visitor Management System, which will cross-reference the visitor’s information with a database of sex offenders throughout the United States maintained by Raptor Technologies and any court orders provided to the District to protect students.
Individuals cleared by the V-oft System will be issued a visitor badge and lanyard that must be visibly worn while in the school and returned to the school office upon leaving. If a potential threat is identified, The V-Soft system will instantly alert designated officials, such as administrators and law enforcement. In these cases, visitors will be denied access to the building.
While visitors are welcome to volunteer in classrooms and at schoolwide events, they will not be allowed during school lunch/recess hours.
Student visitors are not permitted to attend classes or school parties unless approved by the principal. Because classroom visits can be disruptive to the students, they must be scheduled ahead of time and approved by the school principal.