Dear Palombi Parent/Guardian,
Please see important information about student attendance, student support for COVID absences, and resources for students for sex education:
Student Attendance
Present on-site learning is a focus for Lake Villa District 41 for the 2022-2023 school year. During the 2021-2022 school year, student chronic absenteeism drastically increased.
Building principals will be encouraging student attendance on an ongoing basis and taking proactive measures to ensure that our students are learning on-site when not ill.
- Palombi will be marking any student who isn’t called in as unexcused absence.
- Parents should receive phone calls/emails if their student is marked absent and/or tardy from a class.
- If a student has multiple unexcused absences, the Regional Office of Education Truancy Office may be asked to get involved.
- Finally, if a student is repeatedly absent, Palombi will be required to ask for a doctor’s note to excuse future absences. Failure to turn in a note will result in an unexcused absence, which may trigger the truancy process.
The Illinois State Board of Education defines an Excused Absence as follows: “Valid cause shall be illness, observance of a religious holiday, death in the immediate family, family emergency, student mental health day, and shall include such other situations beyond the control of the student as determined by the board of education in each district, or such other circumstances which cause reasonable concern to the parent for the mental, emotional, or physical health or safety of the student.”
We strongly encourage students who are quarantined due to being COVID-19 positive to participate in remote Student Support Services that are available to them. Participation will be reflected within their daily attendance.
Student Support Services
Students who are in isolation due to being COVID positive will be able to access support with schoolwork from staff outside of school hours. Families will receive information regarding how to access student support services when their isolation window begins. On-site learning will be a focus for this school year. We recognize that students learn best when present within a physical classroom. We strongly encourage students who are quarantined due to being COVID-19 positive to participate in remote support services that are available to them. Participation will be reflected within their daily attendance. We will no longer include online access to the general classroom experience (i.e., no remoting into daily classes).
Sex Education
Public Act 102-0522, the Comprehensive Personal Health and Safety and Sexual Health Education Act, requires the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) to adopt the National Sex Education Standards as the Illinois Learning Standards for sexual health education. These standards were adopted on June 14, 2022.
Districts have the option to provide sexual health education instruction during the 2022-2023 school year. Lake Villa Community Consolidated School District 41 will not implement National Sex Education Standards during this time. For parents that would like resources, please refer to the links below:
- The videos are now on YouTube: Girls' Talk. Boys' Talk, and CoEd Talk
- Puberty Education Programs for Teachers, Students, and Parents