Technology, Safety, & Student Conduct

All District schools and properties are tobacco-, smoke-, and vape-free. No persons may use tobacco materials (including chewing tobacco, electronic cigarettes/vaping, and hookah products) on District property at any time, including during extracurricular activities and events. 

The school District has a restraint and time out (RTO) plan, consistent with the Illinois State Board of Education restraint and time out reduction goals, which provides a continuous evaluation of best practices for providing alternatives to time out and restraint. This plan is available by request to your building administration.

A parent/guardian of a student who has been the victim of a violent crime at a Title I school or who attends a “persistently dangerous school” as determined by the state, will be offered school choice. Contact the office of the Superintendent for additional information.

Also referred to as a “threat assessment,” a Behavioral Threat Assessment is a structured process used by the school district to assess, manage, and intervene with students who may pose a threat of violence to themselves or others. Threat assessments are meant to:

• Identify and evaluate behaviors or communications that may indicate risk.
• Determine whether the threat is credible, serious, and specific.
• Implement interventions, supports, monitoring, or safety planning to reduce risk and promote safety.
• Coordinate supports and resources (e.g. counseling, mental health, behavior plans).

Statutory Requirement in Illinois

• Under Illinois law (105 ILCS 128/45), each school district must implement a threat assessment
• procedure.
• The law requires the establishment of a Threat Assessment Team composed of multiple,
• cross-disciplinary members, including at minimum:
  • an administrator
  • a teacher
  • a school counselor
  • a school psychologist
  • a school social worker
  • at least one law enforcement official
• Each year, before the school year begins, the district’s board must file the threat assessment procedure and the composition of the team with a local law enforcement agency and the regional office of education.
• Also, the law includes a FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) exemption for records related to threat assessment work, limiting public access to those records.
• Any sharing of student information under threat assessment must comply with FERPA and the Illinois School Student Records Act.

Parental Consent / Notification

• Participation in a threat assessment process does not require parental consent. The statute does not mandate obtaining consent for the threat assessment itself. (It is a safety/risk management function of the school.)
• The school will notify parents of the existence of the assessment or of safety planning or interventions, to the extent consistent with Illinois law, Board policy, and student safety and not interfering with the assessment or mitigation of risk. 
• Parental rights to access relevant educational records or behavioral data are still governed by FERPA, ISSRA, and district policy. Any disclosure of records must comply with those laws.

Procedures & Safeguards

• The threat assessment process must be reasonably tailored, including only information relevant to assessing risk (e.g. behaviors, communications, context).
• The team should use a multi-disciplinary approach (behavioral, psychological, educational, security) and draw on relevant data (student behavior history, records, observations, interviews).
• Interventions and safety plans arising from the assessment must be documented, monitored, and periodically reviewed.
• The district should ensure confidentiality protections, limited access to threat assessment records, and guard against misuse or stigmatization.
• The district’s policies should identify how and when parents or guardians will be informed (subject to safety considerations), consistent with state guidance.
   

1. The Superintendent or designee may develop, make known and enforce other expectations of conduct. These expectations will follow Board policy.
    
2. In cooperation with the Aurora and North Aurora Police Departments, a school resource officer, an employee of the prospective city of which the school is located, is assigned to serve the student populations at West Aurora High School, Herget, Jefferson, Jewel, and Washington Middle Schools. The school resource officer also serves other schools in the District as needed. The responsibility of the school resource officer is not to enforce discipline but rather to be involved in activities that could be potentially unlawful.

The grounds for disciplinary action, including those described more thoroughly later in this section, apply whenever the student’s conduct is reasonably related to school or school activities, including but not limited to the following:

1. On or within sight of school grounds before, during, or after school hours.
    
2. Off school grounds at a school-sponsored activity or event or any activity or event that bears a reasonable relationship or nexus to the school.
    
3. Traveling to or from school or a school activity, function, or event.
    
4. Anywhere, including virtual environments, if the conduct interferes with, disrupts, or adversely affects the school environment, school operations, or an educational function, including but not limited to conduct that may reasonably be considered to a) be a threat or an attempted intimidation of a staff member; or b) endanger the health or safety of students, staff, or school property.

District administration is authorized to discipline students for gross disobedience or misconduct, including but not limited to:

1. Using, possessing, distributing, purchasing, or selling tobacco materials, and/or paraphernalia (including, but not limited to, electronic cigarettes, vaping batteries, and hookahs/hookah products).
    
2. Using (being under the influence of), possessing, distributing, purchasing, or selling alcoholic beverages or beverages containing alcohol, are not permitted to attend school or school functions.
    
3. Using, possessing, distributing, purchasing or selling drugs and substances as described below:
   • Any illegal drug, controlled substance, or cannabis (including marijuana, hashish, and medical cannabis unless the student is authorized to be administered a medical cannabis-infused product and such use to possession is pursuant to Board Policy 7:270).
   • Any anabolic steroid unless administered in accordance with a physician or licensed practitioner’s prescription.
   • Any prescription drug when not prescribed for the student by a physician or licensed practitioner, or when used in a manner inconsistent with the prescription or prescribing physician or licensed practitioner’s instructions. The use or possession of medical cannabis, even by a student for whom medical cannabis has been prescribed, is prohibited unless the user or possession is pursuant to Board Policy 7:270.
   • Any performance-enhancing substance on the Illinois High School Association’s most current banned substance list, unless administered in accordance with a physician’s or licensed practitioner’s prescription.
   • Any inhalant, regardless of whether it contains an illegal drug or controlled substance: (a) that a student believes is, or represents to be capable of, causing intoxication, hallucination, excitement, or dulling of the brain or nervous system; or (b) about which the student engaged in behavior that would lead a reasonable person to believe that the student intended the inhalant to cause intoxication, hallucination, excitement, or dulling of the brain or nervous system. The prohibition in this section does not apply to a student’s use of asthma or other legally prescribed inhalant medications.
   • “Look-alike” or counterfeit drugs, including a substance not containing an illegal drug or controlled substance, but one: (a) that a student believes to be, or represents to be, an illegal drug or controlled substance; or (b) about which a student engaged in behavior that would lead a reasonable person to believe that the student expressly or impliedly represented to be an illegal drug or controlled substance.
   • Drug and/or tobacco paraphernalia, including devices that are or can be used to: (a) ingest, inhale, or inject cannabis or controlled substances. The use or possession of drug paraphernalia, even by a student for whom medical cannabis has been prescribed, is prohibited unless the user or possession is pursuant to Board Policy 7:270.
   • Students who are under the influence of any prohibited substance are not permitted to attend school or school functions and are treated as though they had the prohibited substance, as applicable, in their possession.
4. Using, possessing, controlling or transferring a weapon.
   • A student who uses, possesses, controls, or transfers a weapon, or any other object that can reasonably be considered, or looks like, a weapon, may be expelled for one calendar year, but no more than two (2) calendar years. The Superintendent may modify the recommended expulsion period and the board may modify the Superintendent’s recommendation on a case-by-case basis.
   • A “weapon” means: 1) any gun, rifle, shotgun, a weapon as defined by Section 921 of Title 18, United States Code, firearm as defined in Section 1.1 of the Firearm Owners Identification Act, or use of a weapon as defined in Section 24-1 of the Criminal Code; 2) any other object if used or attempted to be used to cause bodily harm, including but not limited to, knives, razor blades, brass knuckles, billy clubs; or 3) “look-alikes” of any weapon as defined above. Any item, such as a baseball bat, pipe, bottle, lock, stick, pencil, and pen, pepper spray is considered to be a weapon if used or attempted to be used to cause bodily harm.
   • The Superintendent or designee may grant an exception to this policy, upon the prior request of an adult supervisor, for students in theater, cooking, ROTC, martial arts, or similar program, whether or not school-sponsored, provided the item is not equipped, or not intended, to do bodily harm.
5. Cell Phones and Other Electronic Devices
   The possession and use of smartphones, cell phones, earbuds/headphones, and other electronic devices, not provided by the district, are subject to the following rules. See chart for leveled procedures/permissions.
   • In all learning spaces, devices must be kept out of sight, such as in a backpack, purse, locker, or designated area provided by the school. 
   • Devices must be turned off or silenced during the regular school day unless:
     • use of the device is provided in a student’s individualized education program (IEP);
     • for instructional purposes at the discretion of the teacher;
     • the device is used for physician-documented medical purposes per a Section 504 Plan;
     • per grade level, the device is used during the student’s lunch or passing period; or 
     • the device is needed during an emergency (health or safety). 

Devices may not be used in any manner that will cause a disruption to the educational environment or will otherwise violate student conduct rules including, but not limited, to recording physical altercations and taking photographs in hallways, locker rooms, or bathrooms.

Devices may not be used for creating, sending, sharing, viewing, receiving, or possessing indecent visual depictions or non-consensual dissemination of private sexual images as defined in State law, i.e., sexting. Possession is prohibited regardless of whether the depiction violates State law. Any cellular phone or electronic device may be searched if there is reasonable suspicion that its contents are directly related to sexting or other policy violations. All sexting violations will require school administrators to follow student discipline policies in addition to contacting the police and reporting suspected child abuse or neglect when appropriate.

The School District is not responsible for the loss or theft of any electronic device brought to school.

6. Using or possessing a laser pointer unless under a staff member’s direct supervision and in the context of instruction.

7. Disobeying expectations of student conduct, including, but not limited to horseplay, physical and verbal confrontations, dress code violations, and non-compliance to staff directives. 

8. Engaging in academic dishonesty, including, but not limited to, cheating intentionally, plagiarizing, using a writing service and/or generative artificial intelligence technology in place of original work unless specifically authorized by staff, wrongfully giving or receiving help during an academic examination, wrongfully obtaining test copies or scores, and using personal devices to engage in academic dishonesty (Article IIB-5).

9. Engaging in hazing or any kind of bullying, including cyberbullying, on a District-issued or personal device (see definitions of bullying and cyberbullying in Article I, Number 10), or aggressive behavior that does physical or psychological harm to another student or any urging of other students to engage in such conduct that has potential to disrupt or compromise the safely of the educational environment. Prohibited conduct includes any use of violence, force, noise, coercion, threats, intimidation, fear, harassment, hazing, or other comparable conduct. A student may report an incident of bullying to the building administration/staff, as provided in Article I-10.

10. Causing or attempting to cause damage to, or stealing or attempting to steal, school property or another person’s personal property.

11. Being absent without recognized excuse; State law and School Board Policy 7.070 regarding truancy control will be used with chronic and habitual truants.

12. Being involved with any public-school fraternity, sorority, or secret society, by:

• Being a member.
• Promising to join.
• Pledging to become a member.
• Soliciting any other person to join, promise to join, or be pledged to become a member.

13. Being involved in gangs or gang-related activities, including displaying gang symbols, colors and/or paraphernalia.

14.Violating any criminal law, including but not limited to, assault, battery, arson, theft, gambling, eavesdropping, trespassing, hazing and setting false alarms (i.e. fire alarm pulls, bomb threats, and 911 calls from within the school buildings).

15. Making an explicit threat on an internet-based website or app against a school or school-related personnel or a student if the Internet-based website and/or app through which the threat was made is a site that was accessible within the school at the time the threat was made or was available to third parties who worked or studied within the school grounds at the time the threat was made, and the threat could be reasonably interpreted as threatening to the safety and security of the threatened individual or school community.

16. Engaging in any activity, on or off campus, including but not limited to making an explicit threat on an Internet-based website or app, at any time, against a school employee, a student, or any school-related personnel, that interferes with, disrupts, or adversely affects the school environment, school operations, or an educational function, including but not limited to, conduct that may reasonably be considered to: (a) be a threat or an attempted intimidation of a staff member, or (b) endanger the health or safety of students, staff, or school property.

17. Violating the District’s “Acceptable Use of Network and Technology Resource Procedures.”
 

1. Behavioral Interventions shall be used with students with disabilities (as defined by Article 14 of the School Code) to promote and strengthen desirable behaviors and reduce identified inappropriate behaviors. The District will establish and maintain a committee to develop, implement, and monitor procedures on the use of behavioral interventions for students with disabilities.
    
2. The District shall comply with the provisions of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (“IDEA”) and the Illinois State Board of Education’s Special Education Administrative expectations when disciplining special education students. Special education students shall be subject to District’s standard discipline code, including consequences, provided that the District’s standard discipline code is administered consistent with the IDEA and the Illinois State Board of Education’s Special Education Administrative expectations.
   
   No special education student shall be expelled if the student’s particular act of gross disobedience or misconduct is a manifestation of his or her disability. Any special education student whose gross disobedience or misconduct is not a manifestation of his or her disability may be expelled pursuant to the expulsion procedures, except that such disabled student shall continue to receive educational services as provided in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act during such period of expulsion.

The District recognizes its responsibility to provide a quality education for students. Quality education requires a climate conducive to learning. In order to produce that type of climate, the Board further recognizes that it has an obligation to provide order and discipline in the schools and to do all within its power to avoid disruptions of the educational process.

The procedures outlined in the following sections are designed to make students aware of the types of behaviors upon which the school will act, and types of behavioral and disciplinary interventions and consequences that might be expected as a result of these behaviors. Violations that occur in school, on school grounds, to and from school, on school buses, or at school activities are subject to behavioral and disciplinary action. Violations occurring off school grounds that interfere with, disrupt, or adversely affect the school environment, school operations, or an educational function may also be subject to behavioral and disciplinary interventions and consequences.

Behavioral and Disciplinary Interventions and Actions

The District employs a universal system of support designed to promote academic, social, and emotional success for all students in a nurturing and safe environment. In addition, for students who have not responded to the universal system of support, the District has designed and implemented an MTSS system, which is a proactive systematic approach to establishing the behavioral supports and social culture needed for all students in a school to achieve social, emotional, and academic success. Students who engage in misconduct, despite these systems of support, will receive behavioral and disciplinary interventions and consequences to address the misconduct. Not all behavioral and disciplinary interventions and consequences are appropriate to address an act of misconduct. Determination of the appropriate behavioral and disciplinary interventions and consequences will be proportionate to the misconduct and will be designed to improve behavior. Our procedures are designed to involve the student, teacher, parent(s)/guardian(s), counselor, school administrators, Superintendent, and/or Board in the process. The following behavioral and disciplinary interventions are available:

1. Universal Systems of Supports are the core programs and strategies provided to all students within the school building to promote successful student outcomes and prevent school failure.
    
2. Conferences are used to discuss concerns and possible solutions. Staff members, students or parents(s)/guardian(s) may request a conference.
    
3. Check-In-Check-Out (CICO) is a structured, individualized intervention aimed at fostering positive staff-student interactions to enhance self-monitoring of behavior. This approach incorporates daily progress monitoring tools and includes targeted skill deficit instruction during student-staff check-ins.
    
4. Social-Emotional Groups and Counseling Groups are intervention groups created in response to student-specific skill deficit areas. The purpose of the group session is to teach and foster the development of deficit skills in a controlled environment. Progress monitoring is used to track student progress and skill development.
    
5. Social Emotional Learning/Wayfinder is a research-backed curriculum that supports students’ academic engagement and holistic well-being with resources that help build strong relationships, develop future-ready skills, and guide students to live purposeful lives. This is done through experiential learning lessons and activities that support Collaboration, Empathy, Self-Awareness, Adaptability, Agency, and Purpose. 
    
6. General Education Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP) is an intervention that identifies an individual student’s target behaviors. These target behaviors have been identified as adversely impacting the academic setting or the student’s academic or social-emotional progress. Based upon the target behaviors, responses and supports are identified and used consistently amongst all staff who interact with the student. Progress monitoring methods are identified as part of a BIP. A BIP has a designated duration for implementation. 
    
7. Restorative Conferences and Practices "Restorative measures" means a continuum of school-based alternatives to exclusionary discipline, such as suspensions and expulsions, that: (i) are adapted to the particular needs of the school and community, (ii) contribute to maintaining school safety, (iii) protect the integrity of a positive and productive learning climate, (iv) teach students the personal and interpersonal skills they will need to be successful in school and society, (v) serve to build and restore relationships among students, families, schools, and communities, and (vi) reduce the likelihood of future disruption by balancing accountability with an understanding of students' behavioral health needs in order to keep students in school, and (vii) increase student accountability if the incident of bullying is based on religion, race, ethnicity, or any other category that is identified in the Illinois Human Rights Act. (In accordance with PA 102-0241)
    
8. Detention is a temporary detainment before school, after school, or during lunch. Teachers and office staff are to give parent(s)/guardian(s) a one day notice for detention assignments.
    
9. Social Probation (Middle and High School Only) is a means to withhold extracurricular events (sporting events, dances, field trips, etc.) from a student for a determined amount of time. This determination is made by school administration when a student is demonstrating an inability to follow school expectations, is making poor academic choices, or is disregarding attendance policies.
    
10. Athletic and Activity Suspension (Middle and High School Only) is the temporary removal of a student from District-sponsored extracurricular activities for a determined amount of time. The determination is made by school administration. During an athletic and activity suspension, students are not allowed to attend or participate in school activities on or off school grounds.
     
11. Bus Suspension is the temporary removal of a student from District-provided transportation for a period up to 10 days (although, this can be extended due to safety concerns). This penalty is designed to discourage acts of student misconduct that could pose a threat to the safety of students or staff in a moving vehicle, or while traveling to and from school-sponsored events.
     
12. In-School Intervention (ISI) may be assigned to students by an administrator for a portion of a school day or multiple days. The expectation of ISI is to maintain academic progress while assigned to the intervention. 
    
    Students may also be asked to complete SEL assignments as well. Students who do not follow expectations in ISI may receive further behavioral and disciplinary interventions and consequences.
     
13. Out-of-School Suspension (OSS) is the temporary exclusion of a student from school by an administrator for a period not to exceed 10 consecutive school days. During a suspension, suspended students are not allowed on any District 129 school grounds nor may they attend or participate in any District 129 school activities on or off school grounds. Suspended students will be given the opportunity to make up work for equivalent academic credit.
     
14. Reinstatement Conference is the process in which an administrator arranges to meet with the student and/or parent upon return to school after an out-of-school suspension.
     
15. Alternative Educational Placement or Setting is a means, at the administration’s discretion, to place a student who impacts the safety, wellbeing, or educational programming of the school community or of individuals in the school community, in a District-approved educational program in lieu of a recommendation for possible expulsion.
     
16. Blackhawk Academy is District 129’s non-traditional learning environment of multiple programs aligned to address the varying needs of District 129 students in grades 6-12. Both the Regional Safe School Program (RSSP) and the Alternative Learning Opportunities Program (ALOP) are operated in collaboration with Kane County Regional Office of Education and are components of Blackhawk Academy. A student’s home school may make a referral for a student to attend a Blackhawk Academy program if the building has exhausted all efforts of intervention to address a student’s social, emotional, behavioral, or academic skill deficits.
     
17. Expulsion is the exclusion of the student from school for a period of more than 10 days and up to two (2) calendar years.

1. Before a student may be suspended, the student shall be provided a conference during which the charges will be explained, and the student will be given an opportunity to respond to the charges.
    
2. A pre-suspension conference is not required, and the student can be immediately suspended when the student’s presence poses a continuing danger to persons or property, or is an ongoing threat of disruption to the educational process. In such cases, the notice and conference shall follow as soon as practicable.
    
3. Any suspension shall be reported immediately to the student’s parent(s)/guardian(s). A written notice of the suspension shall be provided to the student’s parent(s)/guardian(s).
   • For suspensions of three (3) or fewer school days, the written notice shall:
     • Detail the specific act of gross disobedience or misconduct resulting in the decision to suspend.
     • List the duration of the suspension, including the specific dates of suspension.
     • Advise the student of his ability to complete make-up schoolwork for equivalent academic credit.
     • Notify parent(s)/guardian(s) of their right to a review of the suspension.
   • For suspensions of four (4) or more school days, the written suspension notice shall:
     • Detail the specific act of gross disobedience or misconduct resulting in the decision to suspend.
     • List the duration of the suspension, including the specific dates of suspension.
     • Advise the student of his ability to complete make-up schoolwork for equivalent academic credit.
     • Notify parent(s)/guardian(s) of their right to a review of the suspension.
   • For suspensions of five (5) or more school days, the written suspension notice shall include all of the items noted in 3(b) above, and shall also document whether appropriate and available support services are to be provided to the student during the suspension or whether it was determined that there are no such appropriate and available services.

The School Board must be given a summary of the notice, including the reason for the suspension and the suspension length.

4. Upon request of the parent(s)/guardian(s), a review of the suspension shall be conducted by the Board, or a hearing officer appointed by the Board. At the review, the student’s parent(s)/guardian(s) may appear and discuss the suspension with the Board, or its hearing officer, and may be represented by counsel. After presentation of the evidence, or receipt of the hearing officer’s report, the Board shall take such action as it finds appropriate.

1. Before a student may be expelled, the student and his or her parent(s)/guardian(s) shall be provided with a written request to appear at a hearing to determine whether the student shall be expelled. The request shall be sent by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested. The request shall:
   • Detail the specific act of gross disobedience or misconduct resulting in the decision to recommend expulsion.
   • Advise the parent(s)/guardian(s) of the proposed duration of the recommended expulsion. 
   • Include the time, date, and place for the hearing.
   • Include a short description of what will happen during the hearing.
   • Include a statement indicating that the School Code allows the Board to expel a student for a definite period of time not to exceed two (2) calendar years, as determined on a case-by-case basis.
   • Request that the student or parent(s)/guardian(s) inform the District if the student will be represented by an attorney and, if so, the attorney’s name.
2. The Board shall conduct the hearing or appoint a hearing officer. If a hearing officer is appointed, he or she shall submit his or her report to the Director of Student Services. The Director of Student Services shall then share the hearing officer’s report with the Board. The report includes evidence presented at the hearing. The Board shall then take such final action as it finds appropriate.
   
   During the expulsion hearing, the Board or hearing officer shall hear evidence concerning whether the student is guilty of the gross disobedience or misconduct as charged. The student and his or her parent(s)/guardian(s) may be represented by counsel, offer evidence, present witnesses, cross-examine witnesses who testify, and otherwise present reasons why the student should not be expelled. After presentation of the evidence, or receipt of the hearing officer’s report, the Board shall take such action as it finds appropriate. If the Board acts to expel the student, the written expulsion decision shall:

• Detail the specific reason why removing the student from his or her learning environment is in the best interest of the school.
• Provide a rationale for the specific duration of the recommended expulsion.
• Document that school officials determined that all appropriate and available behavioral and disciplinary interventions have been exhausted by specifying which interventions were attempted, or whether school officials determined that no other appropriate and available interventions existed for the student.
• Document that the student’s continuing presence in school would (1) pose a threat to the safety of other students, staff, or members of the school community, or (2) substantially disrupt, impede, or interfere with the operation of the school.