IDJJ High Schools

Each of the IDJJ facilities contains an alternative high school to serve the educational needs of youth. The high schools comprise School District #428. They offer the ability to earn a high school diploma or complete a GED and operate under the standards of the Ilinois State Board of Education. The schools also offer various career and technical education courses and training, and some higher education courses are available as well. 

Thurgood Marshall Alternative High School- IYC Chicago- Principal McGrone

Booker T. Washington Alternative High School- IYC Harrisburg- 

Glencliffe Academy Alternative High School- IYC Pere Marquette- Principal Houston

Maya Angelou Alternative High School- IYC Warrenville- 

LIBRARY

The library is a resource room and a means for enriching youth learning experiences and supplementing the teachers’ lesson plans.

The Library Associate or other designated staff will be permitted to check out books or other materials to the students.

An orderly educational atmosphere will be maintained at all times. Youths are sent to the library with a pre-approved classroom assignment or to check out a book by the teacher.

Library use is with the authorization of the librarian or sending teacher.

SCHEDULES

Facilities will have school schedules posted. Facilities will have either a four block or six block schedule.

PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES

Twice per school year, usually October and April, parent teacher conferences are held. Parents and/or legal guardians are invited to attend. This includes a group meeting that explains about IDJJ School District #428 and about the school program. The guests then go through the schedule with the youth. Parents/guardians get to see what youth is working on and hear from each teacher how they are doing in each class. For those families that cannot make the trip in person, the homeroom teacher will do a phone conference.

REPORT CARD

A Report Card is the teacher's written assessment of a student's work, progress, and conduct. Reports Cards are issued quarterly by the Teacher and include the following:

•          Course Name

•          Grade

•          Cumulative Credits Earned

•          Grading and Behavioral Scale

•          Teacher Comments

TUTORING

Tutoring services are provided by Literacy Volunteers of Illinois (LVI). LVI is a not-for-profit organization headquartered in Chicago. You may request tutoring services or be assigned by their Teacher for academic support or GED preparation. Tutors will be assigned based on availability and ongoing participation is based on your effort and behavior.

INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES IN EDUCATION ACT

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a law ensuring services to children with disabilities throughout the nation. IDEA governs how states and public agencies provide early intervention, special education and related services to more than 6.5 million eligible infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, established in law in 1975, retains the basic rights and protections for children with disabilities. In 1997, President Clinton signed amendments to the Act that focus on improving the education of children with disabilities by:

•          Identifying children with special needs before they enter school and providing services to help them;

•          Developing individualized education programs (IEPs) that focus on improving educational results through the general curriculum;

•          Educating children with disabilities with their nondisabled peers;

•          Setting higher expectations for students who are disabled and ensuring schools are held accountable;

•          Strengthening the role of parents and fostering partnerships between parents and schools; and

•          Reducing unnecessary paperwork and other burdens.

The IDEA regulations (34 CFR 300) require that children eligible for special education and related services be provided a free appropriate public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment (LRE). The provisions at 34 CFR 300.550(b) requires each public agency to ensure:

That to the maximum extent appropriate, children with disabilities, including children in public or private institutions or other care facilities, are educated with children who are nondisabled and

That special classes, separate schooling or other removal of children with disabilities from the regular educational environment occurs only if the nature or severity of the disability is such that education in regular classes with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved.

AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT (ADA)

School District #428 will make reasonable efforts to provide reasonable accommodations to ensure access to programs, activities and services. If youth has a history of special education services, please inform a teacher or principal in the facility. Requests for accommodations shall be submitted on a Youth Request, DJJ 0286 form to the Local Education Agency Coordinator.

RESPONSIBLE COMPUTER USE POLICY

All students are required to sign and date the policy agreeing that they will use all assigned equipment appropriately. Upon signing and dating, the use policy will be retained in the student’s education file.

Youth should have access to technology and act in a responsible, courteous and lawful manner. Our goal in providing access to tools, devices, and the Internet is to enhance youths' educational development and preparation for the future with 21^st century skills. Youth will read the statements below and sign this document, and in doing so agree to use technology responsibly.

•          I will not damage or change the hardware, software, or settings.

•          I will not make changes to the operation of the network.

•          I will respect copyright laws. I will properly cite sources.

•          I will not seek, view, send, or display offensive messages or media.

•          I will not share my passwords with another person.

•          I will not waste limited resources such as server space, bandwidth, or printing capacity.

•          I will not attempt to access inappropriate or blocked websites.

•          I will not go into other people’s folders, work, or files.

•          I will not use my personal accounts at school (email, social media, etc.)

•          I will notify an adult immediately if I encounter offensive web material.

•          I will not use any form of electronic communication to harass, intimidate, or bully anyone.

•          I will not create passwords which prevent use of the computers by others.

READY TO LEARN (RTL)

If youth are disruptive to the learning environment, they may be sent to Ready to Learn (RTL). Staff will discuss more positive and appropriate ways to behave while in class. The goal is for youth to return to class and be more productive. If youth chooses to continue to be uncooperative, a Youth Disciplinary Report (YDR) will be written and an after-school meeting will be held with youth, teacher, Youth and Family Specialist (YFS), Therapist and the Principal to discuss ways to be less disruptive in the classroom. If youth chooses to continue to be uncooperative they will be sent to time out. Once the time out is completed, the student will return to RTL, complete the necessary paperwork and then return to the classroom.