Being a member of the Illinois Coalition of Nonpublic Schools entitles you to receive this issue of the Electronic Report. The purpose of this Report is to provide brief synopses of developments with the Illinois Coalition of Non-Public Schools, legislative updates, and information of interest to our nonpublic school administrators. Additional information may be obtained by following the hyperlinks that are imbedded throughout the Report.
After months of anxious waiting, the Illinois General Assembly gave final approval to Senate Bill 783, which among many other things opens the School Safety Block Grant to nonpublic schools. Work will still need to be done with the Illinois State Board of Education to develop an application process and some rulemaking, but our schools will now receive annual reimbursements of $32 per pupil for health and safety measures. The hope is that schools will receive their first payment later this spring. The amount schools will receive will be based on either last year or this year's enrollment numbers so make sure you have that data handy. And remember this money will have to be spent on health and safety measures -- more specifics to come.
This is a great step forward in terms of the financial assistance for our schools, the precedent of direct state assistance, and the proven strength of our grassroots advocacy. The reimbursement and the doubling of the textbook loan assistance made for a good legislative year for nonpublic schools.
Other bills of interest that have become law:
HB 3624 School Bus—Call Numbers
Summary: The Act requires that each school bus display at the rear of the bus a visible and readable sign indicating the telephone number of the owner of the school bus, and indicating that the number is to be called to report erratic driving by the school bus driver. The owner of each school bus shall establish procedures for accepting and documenting these calls.
Effective January 1, 2008
SB 404
AEDs—Immunity
Summary: The Act provides that any person who in good faith and without fee or compensation renders emergency medical care involving the use of an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) in accordance with his or her training is not liable for any civil damages as a result of any act or omission, except for willful and wanton misconduct, by that person in rendering that care.
Effective Date: August 27, 2007
SB 143
Fingerprint Background Check
This is the bill that requires fingerprint based criminal record checks for state recognized nonpublic school employees, hired after July 1 of this school year.
SB 641
Vision Exam Requirement
Summary: The Act requires all children enrolling in kindergarten, and any student enrolling in a public or private school for the first time, to have an eye examination. The child shall present proof of having been examined within the previous year before October 15th of the school year or the school may hold the child’s report card until one of the following occurs: (i) the child presents proof of a completed eye examination or (ii) the child presents proof that an eye examination will take place within 60 days after October 15th. The Act requires the Department of Public Health to establish a waiver for children who show an undue burden or a lack of access to an eligible physician and requires every school to report to the ISBE by June 30 the number of children who have received the required eye examination.
Effective Date: January 1, 2008
ILLINOIS TEXTBOOK
LOAN PROGRAM
According to the ISBE website, the Illinois Textbook Loan Program is for
Grades K-6 this year. Funding will be approximately $35 per student.
Packages should have been sent to eligible schools. Ordering can take place
between December 15th and March 15th. It looks like all ordering must take
place through the IWAS system on the state website. More information is
available at ISBE.net, then look for
Textbook Loan Information on the left side of the screen.
In the December issue of the Report, information was shared that the State Board no longer had staff available for state recognition visits. All Nonpublic School Recognition visits have been put on hold until more staff can be hired and trained. Over the past few weeks, ICNS representatives have had correspondence with the State Superintendent. Assurance has been given that two positions have been posted and that in the meantime, access to other state board staff will be made available to meet any critical needs. If your school is scheduled for a State Recognition visit yet this year, you should have received notice that this will be postponed. ICNS will continue to monitor the progress of replacing staff to ensure this critical component of school recognition for nonpublic schools will again take place.
EDUCATION IN THE NEWS
"Free Books for Read Across
America Day"
The Literacy Empowerment Foundation invites schools or other literacy
projects to apply for free books for Read Across America Day, March 3, 2008.
Resources are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Maximum Award:
varies. Eligibility: schools and literacy projects. Deadline: February 10,
2008.
Internet Tool
Promotes Teen Safety On The Information Superhighway
The whole world has become increasingly wired, with Internet access
seemingly available to everyone, including teenagers. While this has allowed
teens to connect with valuable sources of information and keep in touch with
peers from around the globe, there are considerable dangers present in the
free flowing Internet superhighway. According to research conducted by the
Crimes Against Children Research Center for the National Center for Missing
& Exploited Children (NCMEC), youth Internet users face online victimization
that comes in various forms. Most notably, one in seven youths are sexually
solicited online and one-third experience unwanted exposure to sexual
materials. To help teens better understand the risks associated with the
Internet and to educate parents, guardians and teachers, Sprint has launched
the 4NetSafety program in partnership with NCMEC and the National Education
Association Health and Information Network. The initiative offers free
resources designed to help teens understand the impact of online decisions
and the potential dangers they face. The project also intends to help
educators implement Internet safety education and keep parents informed of
potential online risks. The oh-so-cool teen resources address issues through
comic book-style characters who model safe online practices. The
not-quite-as-cool adult resources include safety tips, suggested activities
and discussion ideas that are designed to accompany the teen resources. The
initiative also incorporates a free bi-monthly newsletter (second link) that
provides information teaching pre-teens how to navigate safely.
Principal
Professional Development Can Beget Student Achievement
The Instructional Leadership Study, released by MDRC, has provided
suggestive, yet not definitive, evidence that providing instruction-related
professional development to school principals sets in motion a chain of
events that improves teaching and learning. By examining a theory of school
change articulated by the Institute for Learning (IFL) at the University of
Pittsburgh, it was determined that through leadership training, principals
learn high-quality instruction and also actions they can perform to motivate
and support their teachers. Principals are then able to organize
professional learning opportunities for teachers to improve instruction, and
with improved instruction should come increased achievement. The study found
that principals who received more professional development were more
actively involved in the professional development of their staff, which
should result in better instruction. At schools where instructional quality
was better, students represented higher academic achievement.
http://www.mdrc.org/publications/470/overview.html
GRANTS
"Disney Minnie Grants"
The Walt Disney Company
and Youth Service America are offering grants to support youth-led service
projects in their community. A significant part of the service must take
place on Global Youth Service Day 2008, April 25-27. Youth are encouraged to
address important issues such as climate change, malaria or other diseases,
human rights, literacy, or others. Maximum Award: $500. Eligibility: Youths
aged 5-14, as well as teachers, older youth (15-25), and youth-serving
organizations if they engage younger youth (5-14) in planning and
implementing the project. Deadline: January 21, 2008.
http://ysa.org/AwardsGrants/tabid/58/Default.aspx
"Best Buy Scholarship Program"
The 2007 Best Buy Scholarship Program will award scholarships to students
based on their outstanding commitment to and involvement in community
service, along with a solid academic performance. Maximum Award: $10,000.
Eligibility: high school seniors currently enrolled in an accredited U.S.
school who are in line to graduate and have plans to enter a full-time
undergraduate course of study at an accredited two or four-year college,
university or vocation technical school in the U.S. by fall 2007. Deadline:
February 15, 2008.
http://communications.bestbuy.com/communityrelations/scholarships.asp
CONTACT US
If you have any questions, comments or need information related to our efforts in supporting nonpublic schools, feel free to communicate with us by sending an e-mail to ICNS