Visitors To And Conduct On School Property and in School Communications

The following definitions apply to this policy:

    School property – District and school buildings, grounds, and parking areas; vehicles used for school purposes; and any location used for a Board meeting, school athletic event, or other school-sponsored or school-sanctioned events or activities.
    Visitor – Any person other than an enrolled student or District employee.

All visitors to school property are required to report to the school office and receive permission to remain on school property. All visitors must sign in, show identification, and wear a visitor’s badge during school office hours. When leaving the school, visitors must return their badge. On those occasions when large groups of parents and friends are invited onto school property, visitors may be required to sign in and must follow school officials’ instructions. Persons on school property without permission will be directed to leave and may be subject to criminal prosecution.

Except as provided in the next paragraph, any person wishing to confer with a staff member should contact that staff member to schedule an appointment. Conferences with teachers are held, to the extent possible, outside school hours or during the teacher’s conference/preparation period.

Requests to access a school building, facility, and/or educational program, or to interview personnel or a student for purposes of assessing the student’s special education needs, should be made at the appropriate building. Access shall be facilitated according to guidelines from the Superintendent or designee.

The School District expects mutual respect, civility, and orderly conduct among all people on school property, at a school event, and in communications with staff (including, but not limited to, by email, telephone, text, other digital message, or in person). No person on school property, at a school event (including visitors, students, and employees), or through communications shall perform any of the following acts:

  1. Strike, injure, threaten, harass, or intimidate a staff member, a Board member, sports official or coach, or any other person.
  2. Damage or threaten to damage another’s property.
  3. Damage or deface school property.
  4. Violate any Federal or Illinois State law, or town or county ordinance.
  5. Smoke or otherwise use tobacco products.
  6. Distribute, consume, use, possess, or be impaired by or under the influence of an alcoholic beverage, cannibis (except pursuant to policy 7:270), other lawful product or illegal drugs.
  7. Be present when alcoholic beverage, cannabis, other lawful product, or illegal drug consumption by that person is detectible, regardless of when or where use occurred.
  8. Impede, delay, or otherwise interfere with the orderly conduct of the District’s educational program or any other activity occurring on school property including using cellular phones in a disruptive manner.
  9. Enter upon any portion of school premises at any time for purposes other than those which are lawful and authorized by the Board;.
  10. Behave in an unsportsmanlike manner or, use vulgar or obscene language.
  11. Unless specifically permitted by state law, possess a weapon, any object that can reasonably be considered a weapon or looks like a weapon, or any dangerous device.
  12. Use or possess medical cannabis; unless the person has complied with policy 7:270, Administering Medicines to Students, implementing Ashley’s Law.
  13. Operate a motor vehicle: (a) in a risky manner, (b) in excess of 20 miles per hour, or (c) in violation of an authorized District employee’s directive.
  14. Violate other District policies or regulations, or a directive from an authorized security officer or District employee.
  15. Engage in any conduct that interferes with, disrupts, or adversely affects the District or a School function.
  16. Engage in any risky behavior, including e-scooters, e-bicycles, roller-blading, roller-skating, or skateboarding.
  17. Engage in communication or conduct toward the School District, staff members, or students that is threatening, intimidating, harassing, or disruptive to the educational environment or to the performance of staff members’ professional duties.

Convicted Child Sex Offender

State law prohibits a child sex offender from being present on school property or loitering within 500 feet of school property when persons under the age of 18 are present, unless the offender is:

  1. A parent/guardian of a student attending the school and has notified the Building Principal of the parent/guardian’s presence at the school for the purpose of: (i) attending a conference at the school with school personnel to discuss the progress of the person’s child academic or social progress, (ii) participating in child review conferences in which evaluation and placement decisions may be made with respect to the person’s child regarding special education services, or (iii) attending conferences to discuss other student issues concerning the person’s child such as retention and promotion; or
  2. Has permission to be present from the Board, Superintendent, or Superintendent’s designee. If permission is granted, the Superintendent or Board President shall provide the details of the offender’s upcoming visit to the Building Principal.

In all cases, the Superintendent, or designee who is a certified employee, shall supervise a child sex offender whenever the offender is in a child’s vicinity.

Exclusive Bargaining Representative Agent

Upon notifying the Building Principal’s office, authorized agents of an exclusive bargaining representative will be provided reasonable access to employees in the bargaining unit they represent in accordance with state law. Such access shall be conducted in a manner that will not impede the normal operations of the District.

Enforcement

Any staff member may request identification from any person on school property; refusal to provide such information is a criminal act. The Building Principal or designee shall seek the immediate removal of any person who refuses to provide requested identification.

Any person who engages in conduct prohibited by this policy, whether through communications or in person, may be ejected from or denied admission to school property, have restrictions placed on their access to school or District property or their communications with the School District, and referred to law enforcement when appropriate. The Superintendent or designee may take other corrective action, as deemed appropriate. The person also may be subject to being denied admission to school events or meetings for up to one calendar year in accordance with the procedures below.

Procedures to Deny Future Admission to School Events

Any person who engages in conduct prohibited by this policy, whether through communications or in person, may be removed from school property and/or denied future admission to school property and/or have restrictions placed on their communications with the School District, in accordance with state law. The Superintendent or designee may also impose other reasonable restrictions on an individual’s access to District property or their communications with the School District, including limitations on the manner or scope of access, when necessary to protect students, staff, or the orderly operation of the District.

Decisions regarding access to school property during the instructional day or to curricular activities are within the District’s sole discretion and are not subject to the hearing procedures set forth below.

Before any person may be denied admission to athletic or extracurricular school events as provided in this policy, the person has a right to a hearing before the Board. The Superintendent may refuse the person admission pending such hearing. The Superintendent or designee must provide the person with a hearing notice, delivered or sent by certified mail with return receipt requested, at least 10 days before the Board hearing date. The hearing notice must contain:

  1. Date, time, and place of the Board hearing;
  2. Description of the prohibited conduct;
  3. Proposed time period that admission to school events will be denied; and
  4. Instructions on how to waive a hearing,

Adopted: January 20, 1998
Revised: January 27, 2014, September 29, 2014; April 27, 2020; September 18, 2023; September 15, 2025; May 18, 2026
Reviewed: February 26, 2024; February 23, 2026

Legal References:
  • 20 U.S.C. §7971 et seq., Pro-Children Act of 2001.
  • Nuding v. Cerro Gordo Community Unit School Dist., 313 Ill. App.3d 344 (4th Dist. 2000).
  • 105 ILCS 5/10-20.5, 10-20.5b, 5/10-22.10, 5/22-33, 5/22-110, and 5/24-25.
  • 115 ILCS 5/3(c), Ill. Educational Labor Relations Act.
  • 410 ILCS 130/, Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Program Act.
  • 410 ILCS 705/, Cannabis Tax and Regulation Act.
  • 430 ILCS 66/, Firearm Concealed Carry Act.
  • 720 ILCS 5/11-9.3, 5/21-1, 5/21-1.2, 5/21-3, 5/21-5, 5/21-5.5, 5/21-9, and 5/21-11.