Essential Info/Notable Changes

District 300 classes start on Tuesday, August 11!

This Essential Information and Notable Changes Message highlights the following:

• A reminder on required action items
• Essential information for the upcoming school year that was not shared in a previous summer communications message
• Notable changes for the upcoming school year compared to the previous year

Questions about any of these items can be directed to BackToSchool@d300.org, and additional information can be found at www.d300.org/BacktoSchool.

Please note: The bottom of this message contains a listing of notable dates, as well as details about previous and future back to school messaging.

Monday, August 10:

• Health requirements deadline – Date that parents/guardians of students entering preschool, kindergarten, sixth grade, ninth grade, and 12th grade should submit required health forms – or proof of an upcoming appointment – to their school nurse or health.forms@d300.org. Please submit completed forms as soon as possible so staff can verify they are complete and meet state requirements. A listing of required immunizations and examinations, by grade level, can be found at www.d300.org/health-requirements.

Tuesday, August 25:

• Parent/Guardian Handbook Acknowledgement Form deadline – District 300 requires all parents and guardians to confirm they have received the 2026-27 Parent/Guardian Handbook by completing the Parent/Guardian Handbook Acknowledgement Form located in PowerSchool Parent Portal. Details on how to complete the handbook acknowledgement form can be viewed by accessing this instructional PDF. If you experience any difficulties accessing or submitting the acknowledgement form, please submit a tech support form.

As we prepare for the return to school, we want to inform you about expected busing delays in the afternoons.

During the first week of school, please expect afternoon delays of approximately 30 minutes for your child’s bus ride home. The afternoon delays are due to the additional time taken at each school to ensure students are being placed on the correct bus. You will experience steady improvement in departure times from schools each day as students become familiar with this year’s bus routine.

Please note: You will not receive a daily notification for routes running behind schedule during the first week, as delays are expected for all routes. After the first week of school, if your child’s bus route is running more than 10 minutes late, you will receive a delay notification.

In addition, please check your PowerSchool Parent Portal account – before the first day of school – for your child’s most current bus route information. We are continuing to add students to routes, which may affect your pick-up and/or drop-off times.

Reminder: District 300’s transportation partner, Durham School Services, offers families a BusZone app that provides customizable options for bus tracking. The app will be updated, and route information will be live in the app prior to the first day of school.

If you are having issues with your bus tracker app, please email buszone4009@nellc.com or call 847-658-3262.

Food Services would like to provide the following reminders to ensure students have a seamless experience when acquiring meals and other food items in the cafeteria.

• In PushCoin, review your student’s Wallet account balance and, if necessary, add funds for meal or other food purchases.
  
  
• Verify that your Wallet account notifications are set to your preference. By default, the Wallet is set to alert you whenever a purchase is made.
  
  
• August meal menus can now be accessed by clicking the “Parents” link toward the top right of any District 300 webpage or can be viewed directly by visiting https://d300.nutrislice.com/menu.
  
  
• To verify if your child has been approved for free or reduced-priced meals for this school year, please email FNRApps@d300.org.
  
  
• The District Meal Charge Policy adheres to the Hunger-Free Students’ Bill of Rights. Any student will be allowed to choose a full breakfast and/or lunch each day, regardless of funds available in their Wallet account.
  
  
• Please note: The cost of these meals will still be charged to the student’s meal account, and the parent/guardian remains responsible for payment.
  
  
• Also note: A student must have available funds in their Wallet account to purchase a second meal or ala carte items, including single cartons of milk.
  
  
• Parents/guardians have 21 calendar days to dispute any meal charges.

To learn more about meals or our Food Services program, please email Food.Service@d300.org.

District 300 broke ground June 4 on the Dundee-Crown Additions and Renovations Project, a major facility initiative designed to address growing student enrollment, modernize learning environments, and improve the overall student experience at Dundee-Crown High School.

Planned improvements at Dundee-Crown include:

• Enhancements to Career and Technical Education programming and spaces
• The expansion and renovation of the cafeteria and commons spaces
• Additional classroom space
• Upgrades to the kitchen and food service areas
• The construction of a new modern main entrance to the building

The project is set to conclude in July 2029. Students will remain in the building throughout construction, with no interruption to daily school operations anticipated.

For additional project details, please view the related section in the June 12 Superintendent Update message.

Extensive upgrades have recently been completed at Parkview Elementary School, reflecting District 300's continued investment in creating modern, adaptable learning environments that meet the evolving needs of students.

Completed improvements at Parkview include:

• Four new kindergarten classrooms, a music room with practice and storage areas, and a dedicated STEM lab/art space
• A new state-of-the-art Media Center that allows for student collaboration and engagement
• A dynamic outdoor learning courtyard featuring interactive play elements and unique gathering spaces designed to support the whole child year-round
• A new main entrance to the building along with a reconfigured traffic flow pattern that separates bus and vehicle traffic, reducing congestion while improving safety and convenience for students, families, and staff
• Updated outdoor playgrounds with soft service designed for all students

The project also includes new learning and support spaces, ensuring students have access to the resources they need to thrive and succeed.

As previously communicated, beginning on the first day of the 2026-27 school year (Tuesday, August 11, 2026), District 300 will implement a new policy for student use of personal electronic devices during the school day.

Our goal is simple: Reduce distractions so students can focus, learn, and build strong relationships at school.

On July 28, Gov. JB Pritzker signed a new Illinois law requiring public school districts to adopt policies limiting student use of cellphones and other wireless communication devices during the school day. District 300’s policy begins one year ahead of the state’s required implementation timeline and reflects the same statewide commitment to creating focused, distraction-free learning environments.

The District 300 policy applies to all personal electronic devices, including, but not limited to:

• Cellphones
• Tablets
• Non-district-issued laptops
• Earbuds and headphones (including AirPods)
• Smartwatches and smart glasses
• Video and audio recording devices
• Similar digital items

Here is how the policy will be implemented by grade level:

• Students may bring personal electronic devices to school, but they may only be used before or after the school day.
  
  
• During school hours, all personal electronic devices must be turned off and kept in backpacks.
  
  
• Students will not receive a Yondr pouch (lockable case) unless needed to help with phone management.

• By the end of the day on Tuesday, August 11, all students will be issued one Yondr pouch (a secure, lockable case for storing personal devices), which they will keep and reuse each year while enrolled in District 300.
  
  
• Yondr pouches can be locked at any time, and students will have the ability to unlock at various exits throughout the building.
  
  
• At the start of the school day (when a morning warning bell sounds):
• All personal devices must be turned off.
• All personal electronic devices must be locked inside the Yondr pouch. A single pouch has enough room to hold multiple items at once, including a cellphone, earbuds, and smartwatch.
  
  
• When devices may be used:
• Before the first warning bell
• After the final class bell
• For high school only: During the student’s assigned lunch period in the cafeteria only (students may unlock their pouch using the unlocking stations located in the cafeteria; devices must be locked inside the pouch before leaving the cafeteria)
  
  
• At the end of the school day:
• Devices may be unlocked only after the final bell has rung.
• Unlocking stations will be available near most school exits.
• Please note: Should a student forget to unlock their pouch before leaving school grounds, they can use an exterior unlocking station near a school exit to unlock their pouch, including on weekends.

Beginning on the second day of school, should a student be seen using a personal device without prior approval during instructional or study time, the following steps will be taken:

1. Redirect: The student will receive one staff redirect to put the item in their backpack (K-5) or a Yondr pouch (6-12).
   
   
2. Confiscation: If the student refuses, an administrator will be called, and the device will be confiscated and stored securely.
   
   
3. Parent notification: The parent/guardian will be called and must retrieve the device from the school office. The device will remain in the office until it is retrieved by a parent/guardian during regular building hours.
   
   
4. Instances of insubordination will follow established district discipline policies.

If a parent or guardian needs to reach their child during the school day, please contact the student’s main school office.

Thank you for your continued partnership in creating a present, positive, and focused environment for every student.

District 300 has updated the cost for breakfast and lunch meals, as well as the cost for milk. New prices are as follows:

• Breakfast will be available at all schools at the cost of $2 per meal.
• Lunch will be available at all schools at the cost of $3.55 per meal.
• Milk will be available for breakfast and lunch and will cost $0.75 per single carton.

Additional meal program information for the 2026-27 school year can be viewed by accessing the Parent’s Guide to Student Nutrition PDF.

Two new safety resources are available this school year: SpeakUp, which replaces the Safe School Tip Line, and ReachOut, a new mental health support for students.

Registration-related student fees (the fees covering annual instructional and technology costs) for the 2026-27 school year have now been added to each student’s PushCoin account. Please note: These fees do not apply to students entering preschool or kindergarten.

The district notified families on July 28 via the email address provided during registration that these fees have been posted. Families are now able to view and pay their registration-related fees through PushCoin.

To be considered for reduced or waived fees, please visit the “Free/Reduced Lunch Applications” page of the district website.

For more details, please visit www.d300.org/StudentFees or email student.fees@d300.com.

The following District 300 schools will have new principals this upcoming school year:

• Algonquin Middle School – Nicole Morris
• Gilberts Elementary School – Pam Hill
• Golfview Elementary School – Kristina Tinsley (interim)
• Hampshire Middle School – Jessica Murphy
• Jacobs High School – Matthew Bennett
• Lakewood Elementary School – Hugo Zarate Jr.
• Parkview Elementary School – Justine Lamoso,
• Wright Elementary School – Dr. Craig Zieleniewski (interim)

Please join us in welcoming these new school principals!

District 300 is introducing a new morning check-in routine to enhance campus safety at our high schools.

Starting this year, all high school students must scan their physical student ID card upon entering the building each day. Please note the following details to ensure a smooth transition:

• Physical IDs only: Students must keep their physical ID on their person at all times (once they receive them). Please note: Digital IDs cannot be used during morning check-in.
  
  
• Expect delays without an ID: Students without an ID will be re-routed for manual identity verification in PowerSchool, which may cause entry delays.

We expect to implement this procedure once students have received their new IDs for the school year. Families will receive more specific information from each school in the coming weeks.

District 300 is committed to providing clear and meaningful communication regarding student progress. To better serve our families, we are proud to announce the launch of an enhanced elementary school report card for the 2026-27 school year.

This updated report card applies to all students in kindergarten through fifth grade. Families will receive their first look at the new format with the first quarter report cards, which will be distributed via email on October 26, 2026. For your convenience, these reports will also be readily accessible through PowerSchool.

To assist our families, District 300 will provide free Late Start childcare for students in kindergarten through fifth grade.

Please note: Beginning with the 2026-27 school year, the district will no longer offer Late Start childcare at our middle schools for sixth grade students, as there was little to no participation at that grade level in previous years.

Families interested in utilizing these services must complete this registration form by Thursday, August 6, at 5 p.m.

For additional details, please view the “Late Start Childcare” section of the July 24 Back to School Center Message.

District 300 would also like to remind families of the following notable dates:

Thursday, August 6, at 5 p.m.:

• Late Start childcare registration deadline – Families interested in District 300 Late Start childcare must complete this registration form by Thursday, August 6, at 5 p.m. To learn more, please refer to the “Childcare for Late Start Dates” section of the Back to School Center Message.

Monday, August 10:

• Health requirements deadline – To learn more, please refer to the “Health requirements deadline” information at the top of this message.

Tuesday, August 11:

• First day of school – The first day of school for the 2026-27 school year.

Tuesday, August 25:

• Parent/Guardian Handbook Acknowledgement Form deadline – To learn more, please refer to the “Parent/Guardian Handbook Acknowledgement Form deadline” information at the top of this message.

Wednesday, September 2:

• Late Start – Late Start day for all K-12 schools. Please note: Preschool students do not attend school on any Late Start dates this school year.

Please note: This is the fourth message District 300 has shared with families about the 2026-27 school year.

• The first message – titled the Back to School Requirements Message – was sent on July 1.
  
  
• The second message – titled the Back to School Center Message – was sent on July 24.
  
  
• The third message – titled the Student Schedules and Teacher Assignments Message – was sent on August 3.

The final summer communications message will be shared according to the following schedule:

• Tuesday, August 11: Communications Guidelines Message – The message will include details on how parents and guardians can effectively communicate with the district and our schools.

For additional information pertaining to the 2026-27 school year, please visit www.d300.org/BacktoSchool.

District 300 looks forward to celebrating our first day of school with students, staff, parents, and guardians on Tuesday, August 11. Look for our next message, the Communications Guidelines Message, also on August 11.