Back to School Requirements

District 300 welcomes all students, parents, and guardians to the 2026-27 school year! We look forward to celebrating the first day of school with you on Tuesday, August 11, 2026.

This message is for parents and guardians and contains information about back to school requirements that must be completed either before the first day of school or at the beginning of the 2026-27 school year.

Questions about any of these items can be emailed to BackToSchool@d300.org.

Please note: The bottom of this message contains dates and details related to future back to school messaging.

• Submit Health Forms by August 1st
• Review Updated Personal Electronic Device Details
• Review School Supply Lists
• Review Dress Code
• Review Student Fees
• Registration Reminder
• Lightspeed System Information

Parents and guardians of students entering preschool, kindergarten, sixth grade, ninth grade, and 12th grade must submit required health forms – or proof of an upcoming appointment – to health.forms@d300.org or their school nurse by Saturday, August 1.

If your student is in any other grade and has up-to-date physical and immunization records, no additional forms are needed prior to August 1.

Please note: Students in kindergarten, second grade, sixth grade, and ninth grade must have a dental examination completed by May 15, 2027, with students in kindergarten additionally needing a vision exam completed by October 15, 2026. These exams are not required by August 1.

Illinois law [105 ILCS 5/27-8.1] requires schools to exclude children from class until they present proof of meeting health exam and immunization requirements. Those who are not up to date with health exam and immunization requirements by the first day of attendance on Tuesday, August 11, will not be allowed to attend school until all required forms or proof of upcoming appointments are submitted.

A listing of required immunizations/vaccinations can be found at www.d300.org/health-requirements.

Students without private health insurance can receive free immunizations and physical exams at one of several mobile clinics that District 300 will host this summer. Mobile clinic dates and details on how to make an appointment are available on the program flyer.

Questions about health requirements may be directed to Coordinator of Health Services Julie Cook at julie.cook@d300.org.

As a reminder, District 300 sent families a message on May 15 regarding an updated personal electronic device policy that will take effect at the beginning of the 2026-27 school year.

Please note: The guidelines related to the message referenced above have been updated based on related state legislation that is now pending final approval. This updated guideline pertains to students in middle school and is now as follows: Middle school students will not be allowed to use their personal electronic devices during lunch.

This policy, approved by the Board of Education in January 2026, requires that all student phones and personal electronic devices remain put away and not used during instructional and study time.

Our goal is simple: to reduce distractions so students can concentrate, learn effectively, and build strong relationships at school.

Additional communications with updated information about expectations, procedures, and implementation will be shared this summer and at the start of the new school year.

Parents and guardians of students entering kindergarten through eighth grade are asked to purchase the relevant school supplies listed at www.d300.org/SchoolSupplies by the first day of school on Tuesday, August 11, to ensure their students have the necessary materials for the academic year. (Please note: High schools do not have school supply lists.)

Questions about school supplies can be emailed to BackToSchool@d300.org.

All parents and guardians are asked to review the District 300 student dress code at www.d300.org/DressCode by the first day of school on Tuesday, August 11, to ensure their students are dressed appropriately for the academic year.

Questions about the dress code can be emailed to BackToSchool@d300.org.

After five years during which District 300 did not charge student-related registration fees, the district is resuming charging registration-related fees this school year. Please note: These fees do not apply to students entering preschool or kindergarten.

Additional fees that pertain to the beginning of the school year may also apply to students entering middle school and high school.

Registration-related fees: Registration-related fees (the fees covering annual instructional and technology costs) for the 2026-27 school year will be added to each student’s PushCoin account later this July.

Once the fees have been posted, the district will notify families using the email address provided during registration. At that time, families will be able to view and pay their registration-related fees through PushCoin.

Please note that these fees cannot be paid until they are posted to student accounts later this month. However, parents and guardians can preview the registration-related fees that will apply for the 2026-27 school year now by visiting www.d300.org/StudentFees.

Additional fees: Parents and guardians of students entering middle school and high school may have additional fees to pay via PushCoin, such as physical education uniform/lock fees, athletic fees, and some specific course fees (such as driver’s education fees and Flex physical education fees).

The full list of school fees can be viewed at www.d300.org/StudentFees.

Any additional fees that students accrue during the school year will be posted to their respective PushCoin accounts at the start of the semester or athletic season.

Financial assistance: Parents and guardians can request financial assistance for eligible course fees and eligible PE uniform/lock fees through a district fee waiver form, which will be available on the district website in mid-July.

Please note: Fee waiver eligibility is based on Board policy 4:140.

Helpful resources: Please view the following for details on how to create a PushCoin account, pay student fees via PushCoin, or set up a payment plan with District 300:

• Creating a PushCoin account: Student fee payments and District 300 webstore purchases are supported through the PushCoin system. Families new to District 300 can create a PushCoin account by following these PushCoin account instructions. Please note: New students enrolling in a District 300 school for the first time will not be able to create a PushCoin account until after Saturday, August 1. At that time, please access PushCoin to create a new PushCoin account or to add your new student to an existing family profile within the PushCoin system.
  
  
• Paying student fees via PushCoin: Student-related fees or charges can be viewed on a 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.
  
  
• Payment plan information: Payment plans are available to families with outstanding balances on their student’s PushCoin account. Payment plans can be created by a parent/guardian within the PushCoin system or by contacting Payments@d300.org.

As a reminder, if you have not completed registration for a student returning to District 300 for the 2026-27 school year, please do so by Friday, July 17, at 11:59 p.m., to assist with processing and planning for the upcoming school year.

To begin the registration process, please review the instructions available at www.d300.org/ReturningStudents.

Meanwhile, those who have not yet registered a student new to District 300 are asked to contact their child's school registrar. For additional details on how to register a new student, please visit www.d300.org/NewStudentRegistration.

If you have questions, or if you experience any difficulties with the registration process, please contact your child's school registrar or email OLR@d300.org.

District 300 has recently transitioned our student internet filtering and safety software to Lightspeed Systems, which has replaced Securly.

This change supports our commitment to keep students safe, focused, and supported in their digital learning environments by using the best possible tools.

Parents and guardians should have already received a welcome email directly from Lightspeed Systems from the email address do_not_reply@lightspeedsystems.com. To set up your new parent account, please follow the directions in the email.

With this switch, you will now have access to a brand-new Lightspeed Parent Portal. This portal will give you greater visibility into your child’s school-issued device usage, including:

• Activity reports: See a snapshot of the websites your child visits for schoolwork.
  
  
• Weekly digests: Receive automated email summaries of their online activity.
  
  
• Peace of mind: Rest assured that this filtering remains robust, secure, and compliant with safety standards.

For more information, please email support@d300.org.

Additional back to school details will be shared according to the following schedule:

• Friday, July 24: Back to School Center Message – This message will highlight key topics and answer many commonly asked questions pertaining to the 2026-27 school year. Families will find details about calendars and bell schedules, bus service, Late Start dates and related childcare, extracurricular activities, open house dates, the Parent/Guardian Handbook, pick-up and drop-off procedures, sick day guidelines, and more.
  
  
• Monday, August 3: Student Schedules and Teacher Assignments Message – This message will coincide with the anticipated date that student schedules and teacher assignments for all grade levels will be released in PowerSchool. The message will include details on how to view the schedules and related teacher information.
  
  
• Tuesday, August 4: Essential Information/Notable Changes Message – This message will include any essential updates not covered in this message or the July 24 Back to School Center Message. In addition, any notable changes for the upcoming school year compared to the previous year will be highlighted.
  
  
• 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.

Again, the first day of school is Tuesday, August 11. Look for our next message, the Back to School Center Message, on Friday, July 24!