5:100 - Staff Development Program

The Superintendent or designee shall implement a staff development program. The goal of such program shall be to update and improve the skills and knowledge of staff members in order to achieve and maintain a high level of job performance and satisfaction. Additionally, the development program for licensed staff members shall be designed to aid staff so that student learning objectives meet or exceed goals established by the District and state including, but not limited to, programs to effectuate the Strategic Plan.

Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act (ANCRA) and Erin's Law Training

The staff development program shall include the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act (ANCRA) mandated reporter training and training on the awareness and prevention of child sexual abuse and grooming behaviors (Erin’s Law) as follows (see Board policies 4:165, Awareness and Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse and Grooming Behaviors, and 5:90, Abused and Neglected Child Reporting):

  1. Within three months of employment, each staff member must complete mandated reporter training from a provider or agency with expertise in recognizing and reporting child abuse. Mandated reporter training must be completed again at least every three years.
  2. No later than January first of each year, all school personnel must complete evidence-informed training on preventing, reporting, and responding to child sexual abuse, grooming behaviors (including sexual misconduct as defined in Faith's Law), and boundary violations.

In-Service Training Requirements

The staff development program shall provide, at a minimum, within six months of employment and renewed at least once every five years thereafter (unless required more frequently by other state or federal law), the in-service training of all District staff who work with pupils on:

  1. Health conditions of students, including but not limited to training on:
    1. Chronic health conditions of students;
    2. Anaphylactic reactions and management, conducted by a person with expertise on anaphylactic reactions and management;
    3. Management of asthma, prevention of asthma symptoms, and emergency response in the school setting;
    4. The basics of seizure recognition and first aid and emergency protocols, consistent with best practice guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention;
    5. The basics of diabetes care, how to identify when a diabetic student needs immediate or emergency medical attention, and whom to contact in case of emergency;
    6. Current best practices regarding identification and treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; and
    7. How to respond to an incident involving life-threatening bleeding, including use of a school's trauma bleeding control kit, if applicable.
  2. Social-emotional learning. Training may include providing education to all school personnel about the content of the Illinois Social and Emotional Learning Standards, how they apply to everyday school interactions, and examples of how social emotional learning can be integrated into instructional practices across all grades and subjects.
  3. Developing cultural competency, including but not limited to understanding and reducing implicit bias, including implicit racial bias as defined in 105 ILCS 5/10-20.61 (implicit bias training).
  4. Identifying warning signs of mental illness, trauma, and suicidal behavior in youth, along with appropriate intervention and referral techniques, including resources and guidelines as outlined in 105 ILCS 5/2-3.166 (Ann Marie's Law).
  5. Domestic and sexual violence and the needs of expectant and parenting youth, conducted by persons with expertise in domestic and sexual violence and the needs of expectant and parenting youth. Training shall include, but is not limited to:
    1. Communicating with and listening to youth victims of domestic or sexual violence and expectant and parenting youth;
    2. Connecting youth victims of domestic or sexual violence and expectant and parenting youth to appropriate in-school services and other agencies, programs, and services as needed;
    3. Implementing the District's policies and procedures regarding such youth, including confidentiality; and
    4. Procedures for responding to incidents of teen dating violence that take place at school, on school grounds, at school-sponsored activities, or in vehicles used for school-provided transportation as outlined in 105 ILCS 110/3.10 (see Board policy 7:185, Teen Dating Violence Prohibited).
  6. Protections and accommodations for students, including but not limited to training on:
    1. The federal Americans with Disabilities Act as it pertains to the school environment; and
    2. Homelessness.
  7. Educator ethics and responding to child sexual abuse and grooming behavior (see Board policy 5:120, Employee Ethics; Code of Professional Conduct; and Conflict of Interest); including but not limited to training on:
    1. Teacher-student conduct;
    2. School employee-student conduct; and
    3. Evidence-informed training on preventing, recognizing, reporting, and responding to child sexual abuse and grooming as outlined in 105 ILCS 5/10-23.13.
  8. Effective instruction in violence prevention and conflict resolution, conducted in accordance with the requirements of 105 ILCS 5/27-23.4 (violence prevention and conflict resolution education).

Additional Training Requirements

In addition, the staff development program shall include each of the following:

  1. Ongoing professional development for teachers, administrators, school resource officers, and staff regarding the adverse consequences of school exclusion and justice-system involvement, effective classroom management strategies, culturally responsive discipline, the appropriate and available supportive services for the promotion of student attendance and engagement, and developmentally appropriate disciplinary methods that promote positive and healthy school climates.
  2. Annual continuing education and/or training opportunities (professional standards) for school nutrition program directors, managers, and staff. Each school food authority’s director shall document compliance with this requirement by the end of each school year and maintain documentation for a three-year period.
  3. All high school coaching personnel, including the head and assistant coaches, and athletic directors must obtain online concussion certification by completing online concussion awareness training in accordance with 105 ILCS 25/1.15. Coaching personnel and athletic directors hired on or after 8-19-14 must be certified before their position’s start date.
  4. The following individuals must complete concussion training as specified in the Youth Sports Concussion Safety Act: coaches and assistant coaches (whether volunteer or employee) of an interscholastic athletic activity; nurses, licensed and/or non-licensed healthcare professionals serving on the Concussion Oversight Team; athletic trainers; game officials of an interscholastic athletic activity; and physicians serving on the Concussion Oversight Team.
  5. For school personnel who work with hazardous or toxic materials on a regular basis, training on the safe handling and use of such materials.
  6. For delegated care aides performing services in connection with a student’s seizure action plan, training in accordance with 105 ILCS 150/, the Seizure Smart School Act.
  7. For delegated care aides performing services in connection with a student's diabetes care plan, training in accordance with 105 ILCS 145/, the Care of Students with Diabetes Act.
  8. For all District staff, annual sexual harassment prevention training.
  9. Title IX requirements for training as follows (see Board policy 2:265, Title IX Grievance Procedure):
    1. For all District staff, training on the definition of sexual harassment, the scope of the District’s education program or activity, all relevant District policies and procedures, and the necessity to promptly forward all reports of sexual harassment to the Title IX Coordinator.
    2. For school personnel designated as Title IX coordinators, investigators, decision-makers, or informal resolution facilitators, training on the definition of sexual harassment, the scope of the District’s education program or activity, how to conduct an investigation and grievance process (including hearings, appeals, and informal resolution processes, as applicable), and how to serve impartially.
    3. For school personnel designated as Title IX investigators, training on issues of relevance to create an investigative report that fairly summarizes relevant evidence.
    4. For school personnel designated as Title IX decision-makers, training on issues of relevance of questions and evidence, including when questions and evidence about a complainant’s sexual predisposition or prior sexual behavior are not relevant.
  10. Training for all District employees on the prevention of discrimination and harassment based on race, color, and national origin in school as part of new employee training and at least once every two years.
  11. Training for at least one designated employee at each school about the Prioritization of Urgency of Need for Services (PUNS) database and steps required to register students for it.

The Superintendent shall develop protocols for administering youth suicide awareness and prevention education to staff consistent with Board policy 7:290, Suicide and Depression Awareness and Prevention.

Adopted: May 4, 1998 Revised: January 22, 2008, March 23, 2015; September 23, 2019; September 23, 2024

Legal Reference: 20 U.S.C. §1681 et seq., Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972; 34 C.F.R. Part 106.
42 U.S.C. §1758b, Pub. L. 111-296, Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010; 7 C.F.R. Parts 210 and 235.
105 ILCS 5/2-3.62, 5/2-3.166, 5/3-11, 5/10-20.17a, 5/10-20.61, 5/10-22.6(c-5), 5/10-22.39, 5/10-23.12, 5/10-23.13, 5/22-80(h), 5/22-95, and 5/24-5.
105 ILCS 25/1.15, Interscholastic Athletic Organization Act.
105 ILCS 145/25, Care of Students with Diabetes Act
105 ILCS 150/25, Seizure Smart School Act.
105 ILCS 110/3, Critical Health Problems and Comprehensive Health Education Act.
325 ILCS 5/4, Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act.
745 ILCS 49/, Good Samaritan Act.
775 ILCS 5/2-109 and 5/5A-103, Ill. Human Rights Act.
23 Ill.Admin.Code §§ 22.20, 226.800, and Part 525.
77 Ill.Admin.Code §527.800.