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Additional Information The Regional Office of Education is responsible for conducting and keeping records of the initial training that is required for all new school bus drivers prior to getting a bus permit, and the annual refresher workshop that is required in the 12 month period prior to renewing their school bus permit. Experienced drivers must take a two hour refresher course annually, and all new drivers must take an eight hour course in school bus driver safety and first aid, as prescribed by the Illinois State Board of Education and administered by the ROE. Each year the Regional Offices train over 20,000 bus drivers. REGIONAL BOARD OF SCHOOL TRUSTEES The Regional Superintendent serves as the Ex-Officio Secretary of the Regional Board of School Trustees. Members are elected and meet quarterly and special meetings are held as needed. When citizens want to transfer their property so their children can attend school in a neighboring school district, the Regional Superintendent provides guidance on the procedures involved and legal requirements Petitions for transfers are filed with the Regional Superintendent, and a hearing is held with the Regional Board of School Trustees, the deciding body in such matters. back to Cooperative Management / to top HEALTH/LIFE SAFETY INSPECTIONS Each of the 4000 public school buildings and school related buildings in the state is inspected annually to assure compliance with the minimum standards necessary to ensure the health and safety of public school students in Illinois, according to Building Specifications for Health and Safety in Public Schools. By law, school districts must maintain public schools to the minimum standard. Annual inspection results from each building are available at the Regional Office of Education. A summary report is filed annually with the Illinois State Board of Education as required by law. Every 10 years all public school buildings must be resurveyed by an architect licensed by the State of Illinois. All work necessary to bring the building into compliance with minimum standards is noted. Upon completion of outlined work, compliance is verified by the district and architect in a report filed with the Regional Office of Education. The Regional Office of Education is also responsible, through the Regional Superintendent of Schools, for statutory compliance with established standards in the construction and remodeling of public school buildings. The Regional Superintendent assures school board approval by resolution of construction plans, review of construction plans for code compliance, issuance of the building permit, and upon review, issuance of school occupancy permits. Further, the Regional Superintendent assures code compliance for temporary/mobile classroom units throughout the region. Records of all amendments and construction information are kept on file in the Regional Office of Education. back to Health and Life Safety / to top Each year, numerous legal opinions which cover a wide variety of topics are secured by the Regional Office of Education for use by school administrators, school attorneys, school board members, teachers, and the general public. This service is provided as mandated in the Illinois Compiled Statutes, Section 3 10 that establishes the Regional Superintendent as a source of official interpretation of school law and educational policy. back to Public Relations / to top TEACHER CERTIFICATION It is the duty of the Regional Superintendent to see that all active teachers and school administrators have the proper certification for the position they hold. Each year the Regional Offices have registered over 120,000 teachers and 7,000 administrators. Certificates are now registered for five years. Recently, the ROE has been given the added responsibility for the issuance of Substitute Teacher Certificates, Entitlements, and Teacher Aide Approval Letters. The ROE is connected electronically to the Professional Preparation Division of the State Board of Education, Springfield. Work authorization permits now are issued by the ROE within minutes of application. The Regional Office of Education will be an integral part of the teacher professional development renewal process. The Regional Superintendent will have the following duties:
THE REGIONAL SAFE SCHOOL PROGRAM The Regional Offices of Education are directed by Public Act 89-383 to provide a alternative learning opportunity for students who are considered disruptive. Federal legislation (Public Law 003-382) directed all states to approve legislation requiring that school district expel students who bring weapons to school. The purpose of the this alternative program is to provide education programming for students who are about to be expelled from school and have no other educational alternative. The program is intended to assist an effective transfer back to the regular school program when the student achieves his/her goals. Enrollment at the 47 sites of the Regional Safe School Programs exceeds 1,000 students. back to Cooperative Management / to top SCHOOL RECOGNITION AND APPROVAL School districts seeking recognition/approval by the Illinois State Board of Education must submit certain documents to the Office of the Regional Superintendent on a regular basis. These documents include the school calendar, which must provide for a minimum of 176 days of school per year; assurances that certain objectives, assessment procedures and/or the improvement of instruction are in place; annual applications for recognition and approval by ISBE; and applications for approval of local district in-service training programs and institutes. As a part of the State Board of Education "Quality Assurance" process, the Regional Offices schedule approximately 300 Technical Assistance Visits during the school year to assure compliance with state statutes. Non public schools seeking recognition from the State Board of Education must also submit certain documents to the Regional Office for approval and forwarding to Springfield. Non public schools applying for recognition are evaluated by I.S.B.E. visitation on a regular basis. R.O.E. staff are involved in non public recognition as well as public school recognition. back to Cooperative Management / to top SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT AND STAFF DEVELOPMENT SERVICES The school improvement and staff development services provided by the Regional Offices of Education are funded by the Illinois State Board of Education, participating districts and grants. The purpose of the services is to provide staff and curriculum development and technical assistance to the school. Programs are developed on a regional basis in order to provide service that could not be provided as efficiently or economically by individual districts. Nor could a "one size fits all" state approach necessarily serve this purpose. Services provided include:
Provide services that assist schools in the improvement of instruction including training and support with the content areas, Title 1, gifted education, scientific literacy, learning strategies, education to careers, and aligning Illinois State Academic Standards with the curriculum.
School Improvement Services
Support schools in the Quality Assurance process
Technology Services
Leadership Development
The trainings offered by the Regional Offices of Education and Intermediate Service Centers provided opportunities that focused on state initiatives and local needs. The Regional Office of Education often serves as ombudsman as citizens raise issues and have disputes involving parents, children and schools. Examples of this role include issues in the following areas: Busing; Home schooling; Homeless children; Residency; District boundaries; Pregnant students; Truancy; Disagreements between parents and districts; and School district reorganization. back to Public Relations / to top The Regional Offices of Education assisted the Illinois Secretary of State with the Organ Donor Program. R.O.E.'s offer training and information to districts in each region. The R.O.E.'s distribute kits that contain lessons, resources and handouts to educators in partnership with the Regional Organ Bank of Illinois. back to Public Relations / to top Regional Offices facilitated the development of School Crisis Assistance Teams in the Spring of 2000. These teams develop a network that assists schools during and following a violent incident or other traumatic event. The teams were formed in collaboration with the Mental Health Association of Illinois, the Community Behavioral Healthcare Association and the Illinois State Board of Education under the leadership of the office of Attorney General Jim Ryan. These teams help schools develop effective plans that are aligned with the procedures of the public service agencies in each region. The team provides support in a crisis and assists in the training of local school teams. In an effort to further assist schools with safety planning, a school safety on-line website was developed by the Will and Kendall-Grundy R.O.E.'s with support from the Area I Regional Offices. It has received over 42,000 "hits" since coming on-line. |
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