District 300 welcomes all students, parents and guardians to the 2021-2022 school year! We look forward to celebrating the first day of school with you on Thursday, August 12th.

District 300 has compiled useful information for the new school year in this message. Please note: 

• This message does not contain updates on our formal COVID-19 Back to School plan. District 300 will send an email to all parents with our Back to School plan on August 3rd.
  
• Some of the topics below are only applicable to specific parent groups. As such, please read each section carefully to determine if a topic is applicable to your student.
• With the exception of the first section, student schedules, topics have been arranged in alphabetical order to optimize organization. 

Priority Topic: Student Schedules 

Students schedules for the 2021-2022 school year will be released accordingly:

• High School, Oak Ridge, NIA, and 300 Plus: Monday, August 2 at noon
• Middle School: Tuesday, August 3 at noon
• Elementary School: Wednesday, August 4 at noon

Student schedules can only be viewed using PowerSchool SIS. As mentioned in our July 28th message, PowerSchool SIS has replaced Infinite Campus as our student information system. Parents must set up a PowerSchool SIS account to view student schedules. To set up an account, please view the following tutorial. 

After your account has been set up, you will be able to access your student’s schedule (upon its release) for the 2021-2022 school year in PowerSchool SIS. For information on how to view your student’s schedule, please view this step-by-step tutorial.

Back to School Topics (sorted Alphabetically):

Bus And Transportation Information 

If your student is eligible for school bus transportation during the 2021-2022 academic year, you can expect a postcard with your child’s route information approximately one week prior to the start of school. Additionally, beginning August 2nd, parents and guardians will be able to access this same route information through PowerSchool SIS. It is recommended that you check your transportation information in the Parent Portal prior to the start of school for the most current bus stop information.

Students who were registered after July 23, 2021 may not receive transportation information until after the second week of school.

Due to the volume of students the district transports on a daily basis, please understand that transportation change requests cannot be accommodated during the first few weeks of school.

All preschool through fifth grade students will receive a “bus backpack pass” for the new school year on their first day of class from their teacher. This “bus backpack pass” will include the student’s afternoon bus route information and will be used to board the bus. Please keep this tag on your child’s backpack for the school year.

Bus Tracker App

The Durham Bus Tracker app provides an accurate method for parents and students to monitor the location of a particular bus and/or possible delays in the arrival to a specific stop.

The app can be downloaded from the Apple Store, Google Play, or directly at m.durhambustracker.com. A parent must have a smartphone or tablet device to download the app.

Use of the app is purely voluntary. There is no cost associated with the app, however associated data charges may apply and will be the responsibility of the user.

Once the app is downloaded, parents and guardians can follow these instructions:

Calendar And Schedule Information 

All district-level calendar information for the 2021-2022 school year can be found at d300.org/Calendars. School-specific events can be located on your school’s homepage in the section titled: “Upcoming Events.”

• The 2021-2022 District calendar for kindergarten through 12th grade students can be accessed by clicking here.
• The preschool calendar can be accessed by clicking here.
• Bell times for regular school days can be accessed by clicking here.
  
• Early release dates and bell times can be accessed by clicking here (please note: preschool students do not follow the district’s early release bell schedule. Parents of preschool students should refer to the preschool calendar).
  
• Elementary A-B-C-D-E schedule can be accessed by clicking here.
• High school bell schedules can be accessed by clicking here.
• Middle school bell schedules can be accessed by clicking here. 

Dress Code 

To view the District 300 student dress code, please click here.

Graduation Dates 

The class of 2022 will celebrate graduation ceremonies on May 21st at NOW Arena (5333 Prairie Stone Parkway, Hoffman Estates, 60192) as follows:

• Hampshire High School’s graduation ceremony begins at 10 a.m.
• Jacobs High School’s graduation ceremony begins at 2 p.m.
• Dundee-Crown High School’s graduation ceremony begins at 6 p.m.

We are hopeful that all three high schools will be able to host one ceremony this school year. If anything were to change, families would be notified well in advance. Additional graduation information will be provided to students and families this winter. 

Health Requirements 

Illinois law [105 ILCS 5/27-8.1] requires schools to exclude students from school until they present proof of meeting the health exam and immunization requirements. However, due to the unique circumstances of the pandemic, District 300 will not exclude students who do not submit their 2021-22 required health documents by the first day of school. (Please note: there are some students who did not submit their health documents from the previous 2020-21 school year. These students would be excluded from the first day of school if their required health documents are not provided by the first day of school. Parents of students who did not submit their previous year’s health documents have been notified. If you have any questions if this may apply to your student, please contact your school nurse). 

All District 300 students must submit their required physical examination and immunization forms no later than October 1, 2021. After October 1, students will not be able to attend school until all required health documents are on file. A listing of required immunizations/vaccinations can be found at www.d300.org/HealthRequirements. You can also watch a video overview of the health requirements by clicking here.

Specific exemptions or causes exist for students that preclude them from being excluded from school by the date specified and must include the following:

• Medical Exemptions: Students with specific medical conditions may be exempt from required immunizations/vaccinations. The medical exemption must be signed by a medical doctor licensed to practice medicine in Illinois. Healthcare providers may use their judgment, along with many sources of information about vaccination, to assess whether a child is likely to experience an adverse reaction. If the determination is yes, then the medical practitioner may issue a medical exemption or adopt an individualized schedule.
  
• Religious Exemptions: Parents or legal guardians who object, for religious reasons, to their child being immunized for school entrance must submit a Certificate of Religious Exemption, which now must be signed by a healthcare provider. This legislation requires a health care provider to sign the certificate confirming they have provided education to the parents or legal guardians about the benefits of immunizations and the health risks of not vaccinating students.
  
• Parents or legal guardians must submit the signed certificate to their local school authority prior to children entering kindergarten, sixth grade, and ninth grade.
  
• The Certificate of Religious Exemption form is available by clicking here.
  
• Newly Enrolled Students: New students enrolling at a school or within a district for the first time have 30 days from the initial date of enrollment to meet these requirements.
  
• Proof of a Scheduled Medical Appointment: School Code does allow students to be exempt from mandatory exclusion if they are able to provide evidence of a scheduled appointment for their immunizations/vaccinations. A copy of the scheduled appointment must be submitted to the school nurse. The nurse will call and verify the appointment and will follow-up after the scheduled date to ensure that all records have been updated.   

How To Submit Health Documents 

Parents and/or guardians may submit documentation of physicals and/or immunizations/vaccinations via fax, email (scanned), mail, or in person. Emails can be sent to Health.Forms@d300.org. Faxes can be sent to  847-551-8433

Meals 

During the entire 2021-2022 school year, District 300 will offer breakfast and lunch meals to all students at no cost. 

• Meal Account Payments: As meals will be provided at no cost this year, funds do not need to be added to student meal accounts for the 2021-2022 school year.
  

• Meal Benefits for Eligible Students: As meals will be provided at no cost to the student this year, the Household Eligibility Application for free/reduced price meals does not need to be completed for the 2021-2022 school year.    
  

• Menu Calendar: As the start of the school year approaches, menu calendars for all schools will be available on this page.

Open Houses 

Every District 300 school will host an open house to welcome parents and guardians and to provide information to ensure your child has a successful and rewarding academic year. You can view the complete open house schedule by clicking here.  

Password Reset 

Students entering grades 3-12 will be prompted to reset their Rapid Identity password before the start of the school year. During the evening of August 5th, these students' accounts will be prompted for password reset on their next login to the district’s Rapid Identity system. Students can follow the on screen prompts to complete this action.

If you or your student does not remember their password, they can attempt to recover it by using the “Need Help” link located on the Rapid Identity login page. If you or your student experience any difficulties, please complete the Remote Technical Support Form located on https://www.d300.org.

Parent/Guardian Handbook 

The District 300 Parent/Guardian Handbook for the 2021-2022 school year is available online and can be accessed by clicking here.

The Parent/Guardian Handbook contains pertinent sections from the District 300 Board Policy Manual, along with supplementary notices for students and their families. 

Parking Permits 

High schools have communicated parking permit information to families with registered email accounts. High school students (and their parents) may contact their high school’s main office about parking permit availability, applications, and payment should they have interest and did not receive communication.   

Pick-Up And Drop-Off Procedures

To ensure a smooth start to the academic year, each school’s pick-up and drop-off procedures have been posted to their respective websites. To locate your school's procedures:

• Visit your school’s homepage
  
• Hover your mouse over the “About” channel
  
• Click “Pick-Up and Drop-off Procedures” from the dropdown menu

Picture Days

To see a complete list of picture days, please visit d300.org/PictureDays.

For your convenience, senior portrait information has also been included under each high school heading. 

Questions related to picture day can be directed to your school's main office.

PowerSchool SIS and Schoology Transition 

In the summer of 2021, District 300 officially stopped using both Infinite Campus and Haiku/PowerSchool Learning and transitioned to different platforms.

• Infinite Campus previously served as District 300’s Student Information System where parents could review student information, including attendance, schedules, and bus routes. Infinite Campus has officially been replaced in District 300 by the PowerSchool Student Information System, which the district will refer to as PowerSchool SIS.
  
• Haiku / PowerSchool Learning previously served as District 300’s Learning Management System (LMS), where students and parents could view classes, assignments, and coursework. Haiku / PowerSchool Learning has officially been replaced in our district by Schoology.  

Parents can:

• Click here to access PowerSchool SIS
• Click here to access more details about PowerSchool SIS and Schoology
• Click here to view a one-pager explaining the difference between PowerSchool SIS and Schoology 
• Click here to access Schoology

School Safety

School safety is one of District 300’s top priorities. In our effort to keep schools safe, students, parents, or community members can use the Safe School Tip Line, by clicking here, to report concerns with bullying, drugs, weapons, violence, or self-harm in our schools.

The Safe School Tip Line can be found on the District 300 homepage (located in the blue row of icons directly beneath the homepage slideshow image). Individuals can also call the Safe School Tip Line at (847) 551-8477 or email at SafeSchoolTipline@d300.org. 

The Safe School Tip Line can be used anonymously or contact information can be provided for follow-up.

For more information, or to provide a safety concern directly, please contact our Director of School Safety, Todd Rohlwing, at (847) 551-8365 or Todd.Rohlwing@d300.org.

School Supply Lists 

School supply lists for the 2021-2022 school year are posted on the District 300 website and each school website. You can view each school’s supply list by visiting: www.d300.org/SchoolSupplies. Please note, high schools do not have school supply lists.

Student And Family Privacy Rights

The Student and Family Privacy Rights form includes specific information regarding privacy rights and restrictions on items such as student photographs, directory information, and information supplied to the military and post-secondary education institutions. For more information and to complete a form for the 2021-2022 school year please click here.

Student Fees 

Registration fees have been waived for the 2021-2022 school year to support families who may have encountered hardships due to the pandemic. 

Please note: Physical education uniform/lock fees, athletic fees, and some specific course fees (such as Driver’s Education, Flex Physical Education, and Behind the Wheel) will still apply during the 2021-22 school year. 

The full list of school fees, including those that have been waived and those that are still in place, can be found here: 2021/2022 Student Fee Schedule

If your student has student fees this year, fees will be posted to their PushCoin account at the start of the semester or athletic season. Full payment is due within seven days of the beginning of the semester or season. Financial assistance for eligible course fees and eligible PE uniform/lock fees can be requested through a district fee waiver form which will be available on the D300 Student Fee webpage (Please note: fee waiver eligibility is based on Board policy 4:140.)

• PushCoin: Student fee payments and webstore purchases are supported through the PushCoin system. Families new to D300 can create a PushCoin account by following the directions available here.
  
• Student Fees on PushCoin Account: Student-related fees or charges can be viewed on the student’s PushCoin account. Payments for any fees or charges can be paid by eCheck or credit card at www.PushCoin.com. Questions regarding student accounts, fees, or charges can be directed to Student.Fees@d300.org.
  
• Financial Assistance: Payment plans are available to families with outstanding balances on their student’s fee account. Payment plans can be created by contacting Payments@d300.org. 

District 300 looks forward to welcoming students back into our schools on August 12th. Please look for our back to school plan, which will include information about our COVID-19 protocols, on August 3rd.