Procedures for Visitors

This policy outlines procedures for visitors, including parents/guardians and independent evaluators, to access classrooms and personnel, primarily for observing or evaluating students with disabilities. It sets limits on observation duration, requires adherence to school policies and privacy laws, and prohibits recording devices without special permission.

Adlai E. Stevenson High School District #125

PROCEDURES FOR IMPLEMENTING BOARD POLICY: VISITORS 5015

Section A - Visitor Access to Classrooms and Personnel

Access to classrooms is permitted in limited situations by Section 105 ILCS 5/14-8.02(g-5), amended by P.A. 96-657. The following procedures apply to parents/guardians, qualified professionals retained by or on behalf of the parents/guardians, and independent educational evaluators conducting observations and/or evaluations of students with disabilities who attend District programs.

1. These procedures apply to access requested by the parent/guardian of a student receiving special education services or being evaluated for eligibility, an independent educational evaluator, or a qualified professional retained by or on behalf of a parent/guardian or child. A qualified professional means “an individual who holds credentials to evaluate the child in the domain or domains for which an evaluation is sought or an intern working under the direct supervision of a qualified professional, including a master’s or doctoral degree candidate.” These individuals are referred to in this procedure as visitors.

2. Visitors will be afforded reasonable access to educational facilities, personnel, classrooms, and buildings and to the child. To minimize disruption, reasonable access means that the parent(s)/guardian(s) will be limited to a total of two (2) observations per school year during school hours, each observation lasting no more than one (1) hour. Observations and/or testing during instructional time as part of an evaluation by an independent educational evaluator or a qualified professional will be limited to a total of four (4) hours per school year, unless a longer duration of time is necessary as determined by the student’s IEP team. A visitor PROCEDURES FOR IMPLEMENTING BOARD POLICY: VISITORS 5015

Section A - Visitor Access to Classrooms and Personnel (Continued)

may request the authorized administrator to grant longer or additional observations based on individual circumstances and provide any supporting documentation in support of such a request. A professional evaluator can request longer or additional observations in his or her initial request. The administrator may grant, deny, or modify the request, and the administrator’s decision shall be final.

3. Visitors must comply with:

a. Board and school policies and procedures, including but not limited to school safety, security, and visitation policies at all times.

b. Applicable privacy laws, including those laws protecting the confidentiality of education records such as the Federal Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), the Illinois School Student Records Act, the Illinois Mental Health and Development Disabilities Confidentiality Act, and their respective regulations.

c. Board policy Visitors (8:30). Visitors may not disrupt the educational process.

4. If the visitor is a parent/guardian, he or she will be afforded reasonable access as described above for the purpose of:

a. Observing his or her child in the child’s current educational placement, services, or program, or

b. Visiting an educational placement or program proposed for the child by the IEP team. Audio and/or video recording devices (including but not limited to tape recorders, video cameras computers with recording capabilities and picture phones) are prohibited.

2 5. If the visitor is an independent educational evaluator or a qualified

PROCEDURES FOR IMPLEMENTING BOARD POLICY: VISITORS

Section A - Visitor Access to Classrooms and Personnel (Continued)

professional retained by or on behalf of a parent or child, he or she will be afforded reasonable access as described above for the purpose of conducting an evaluation of the child, the child’s performance, the child’s current educational program, placement, services, or environment, or any educational program, placement, services, or environment proposed for the child, including interviews of educational personnel child observations, assessments, tests, or assessments of the child’s educational program, services, or placement or of any educational program proposed by the IEP team, services, or placement. Reasonable testing or assessment materials may be bought onto school grounds and used by the independent educational evaluator or qualified professional during the evaluation. Audio and/or video recording devices (including but not limited to tape recorders, video cameras computers with recording capabilities, and picture phones) are prohibited, unless deemed necessary and appropriate by the student’s IEP team. If one (1) or more interviews of school personnel are part of the evaluation, the interviews must be conducted at a mutually agreed upon time, date, and place that do not interfere with the school employee’s school duties. An interview with a staff member as part of an evaluation will be limited to a total of one (1) hour, unless a longer duration of time is necessary as determined by the student’s IEP team. The building principal or designee may limit interviews to personnel having information relevant to the child’s current educational services, program, or placement or to a proposed educational service, program, or placement.

6. If the visitor violates a school policy or procedure or interferes with a school activity or duties of school personnel, the Building Principal or other designated Administrator may direct the visitor’s removal from school grounds

3  PROCEDURES FOR IMPLEMENTING BOARD POLICY: VISITORS

Section A - Visitor Access to Classrooms and Personnel (Continued)

7. Prior to visiting a school, school building, or school facility for observational purposes, a visitor must complete, Request to Access Classroom(s) or Personnel for Special Education Evaluation and/or Observation Purposes. This form serves to:

a. Inform the Building Principal or designee in writing of the proposed visit(s), the purpose, and the duration, and

b. Identify requested dates/times for the visit(s) to facilitate scheduling.

8. The student’s parent/guardian must consent in writing to the student being interviewed by the named evaluator as part of a visit. The parent/guardian will grant this consent by completing the Request to Access Classroom(s) or Personnel for Special Education Evaluation and/or Observation Purposes form contained in these procedures.

9. The student’s parent/guardian or the student, if he or she is over the age of 18 must execute an Authorization to Release Student Record Information before an independent educational evaluator or a qualified professional retained by or on behalf of a parent/ guardian or child will be given access to student school records or to personnel who would likely release such records during discussions about the student. If a student is over the age of 12 and the records contain mental health and/or development disability information the student must also be requested to sign the Authorization to Release information before any observation by or disclosure of school student records or information to a visitor.

10. The visitor must acknowledge, before the visit that he or she is obligated to honor all students’ confidentiality rights and refrain from any disclosure of information. The visitor will provide this

4 PROCEDURES FOR IMPLEMENTING BOARD POLICY: VISITORS 5015 Section A - Visitor Access to Classrooms and Personnel (Continued)

acknowledgement and agreement by completing the Request to Access Classroom(s) or Personnel for Special Education Evaluation and/or Observation Purposes contained in these procedures.

11. The building principal or designee will attempt to arrange the visit(s) at times that are mutually agreeable. The building principal or designee will accompany any visitor for the duration of the visit, including during any interviews of staff