Quick Links:
About IPA
Region Information
Membership
Professional Development
Events
Legislation
News & Resources
IPA Partners

PrinciPal Archive
*Current Issue*
Vol 2, Issue 6
Vol 2, Issue 7
Vol. 2, Issue 8
Vol. 2, Issue 9

October 26, 2007, Volume 2, Issue 10

New Driver Permit Law Clarified:

Public Act 95-310 provides, in part, that students who are enrolled in a driver’s education course on or after to January 1, 2008 must maintain a driver’s permit for 9 months before being eligible to receive a license.  Students who are enrolled in a driver’s education course prior to this date need only maintain a permit for 3 months before being eligible to obtain a license.   Given this upcoming change, there have been a number of questions regarding what in means to be “enrolled” in a driver’s education course and whether students must be physically in the driver’s education class to be considered enrolled in such class.  According to guidance provided by both the Illinois Secretary of State’s office and the Illinois State Board of Education, school districts have the ability to determine for themselves the definition of “enrolled.”   Therefore, it is important to consult with your district’s central administration in order to develop a uniform procedure for enrolling students in a driver’s education course.

2008 Illinois Textbook Loan Program

There have been some changes in the Illinois Textbook Loan Program (ITLP) for Fiscal 2008. The ITLP appropriation for 2008 has increased from $29,126,500 to $42,826,500 after having been funded at the same level for the last five years. This year, the program has also changed to a two year cycle (grades K-6 and 7-12) from a three year cycle (grades K-4, 5-8, and 9-12) so textbooks will be rotated more often. The 2008 loan program will be for grades K through 6 with an allotment of approximately $35 per student.

Ordering for the 2008 ITLP will begin December 15 and end March 15. School allotments and other pertinent information regarding the program will be mailed to school administrators on December 1.

Schools will utilize the ISBE Web Application Security (IWAS) system to request instructional materials.  If you need assistance with IWAS, call the IWAS help desk at 217-558-3600.

Additional information is available on the Illinois Textbook Loan Program website at http://www.isbe.net/htmls/textbook.htm. If you have any questions, please contact Frank Hanselman or the ITLP staff at 217-782-0734.

CDC Launches Health Education Web Tool for Schools!

CDC’s Centers and Divisions have developed a wide variety of science-based and other instructional materials that can help schools enhance existing health education curriculum and instruction. CDC’s School Health Education Resources (SHER) is a unique, user-friendly web tool that consolidates these resources in one convenient location. SHER helps Pre-K-12 classroom teachers, school nurses, counselors, curriculum directors, and school administrators easily locate CDC’s instructional resources.

SHER features instructional materials aligned with the National Health Education Standards, Second Edition, 2007, and CDC’s Characteristics of Effective Health Education Curriculum. The online database is searchable by:

• Health education topics commonly found in a comprehensive school health education curriculum.
• Four types of resources (curriculum and lessons, teacher instructional materials, student materials, and fact sheets).
• Grade level groupings (Pre-K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12).

SHER provides the sole comprehensive, user-friendly place to browse and access these resources at CDC. It is available online at http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/SHER

ISBE Provides Information on MRSA

The Illinois State Board of Education is sending this guidance for schools on outbreaks and sporadic cases of Community-Associated Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) on behalf of the Illinois Department of Public Health.

IDPH has additional resources available online:

• MRSA Health Beat, Illinois Department of Public Health – http://www.idph.state.il.us/public/hb/hbmrsa.htm
  
  
• MRSA Educational Materials (posters), U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dhqp/ar_mrsa_ca_posters.html
  
  
• Community-Associated MRSA Information for the Public, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dhqp/ar_mrsa_ca_public.html

The guidance is available on ISBE’s web site in Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format at: http://www.isbe.net/pdf/mrsa_infection.pdf.

Biennial Survey of Rural Schools Reveals a Dramatic Increase of Minorities and Overall Enrollment Growth

Click here to see full report:  www.ruraledu.org/whyruralmatters