105 ILCS 5/ School Code.

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105 ILCS 5/13A-2.10

(105 ILCS 5/13A-2.10)

Sec. 13A-2.10.

Regional superintendent.

"Regional superintendent" has the
meaning ascribed to it in Section 3A-2 of this Code.

(Source: P.A. 89-383, eff. 8-18-95.)

105 ILCS 5/13A-2.15

(105 ILCS 5/13A-2.15)

Sec. 13A-2.15.

(Repealed).

(Source: P.A. 89-383, eff. 8-18-95. Repealed by P.A. 89-629, eff. 8-9-96.)

105 ILCS 5/13A-2.20

(105 ILCS 5/13A-2.20)

Sec. 13A-2.20.

Educational service region.

"Educational service region"
has the meaning ascribed to it in Article 3A of this Code.

(Source: P.A. 89-383, eff. 8-18-95.)

105 ILCS 5/13A-2.25

(105 ILCS 5/13A-2.25)

Sec. 13A-2.25.

State board.

"State board" means the State Board of
Education, as defined in Section 1A-1 of this Code.

(Source: P.A. 89-383, eff. 8-18-95.)

105 ILCS 5/13A-2.30

(105 ILCS 5/13A-2.30)

Sec. 13A-2.30.

District superintendent.

"District superintendent" has the
meaning ascribed to it in Section 10-21.4 of this Code.

(Source: P.A. 89-383, eff. 8-18-95.)

105 ILCS 5/13A-3

(105 ILCS 5/13A-3)

Sec. 13A-3.

Alternative schools.

(a) Except with respect to the Chicago public school system as provided in
Section 13A-11, beginning with the 1996-97 school year, there is hereby created
in this
State a system of alternative school education programs.  At least one
alternative
school program
may be located within each educational service region or established jointly
by more than one regional office of education to serve more than one
educational service region.

(b) Each regional superintendent shall hold a public hearing, by December
1 of the school year following the effective date of this amendatory Act of
1995, to determine the need for an alternative school.  The hearing shall be
held before the regional board.  The regional
superintendent, after consulting with the district
superintendent of each school district located within the regional
superintendent's educational service region and the regional board, shall
determine the location and the need of
the alternative school within that region.  In making this determination, the
regional superintendent shall consider the following:

(1) the possible utilization of existing buildings,

including but not limited to governmental buildings, that are, or could reasonably be made, usable as an alternative school;

(2) which available option would be least costly; and

(3) distances that administratively transferred

students would need to travel and the costs of that travel.

(c) Upon determination of the need for establishment of an alternative
school program, each school district located within the region shall
provide the
regional superintendent with a copy of the district's discipline policy and
procedure for effecting the suspension or expulsion of the students of that
district.  Thereafter, the regional superintendent in cooperation with a
representative from each school district in the region shall establish and each
school district in the region shall adopt policies and procedures that shall
guide each district in the identification and placement of students in the
alternative school program.

(d) The regional superintendent shall locate the alternative school
program so that
it is as far away
from any other school buildings or school grounds in that educational service
region as circumstances
permit.

(e) With the approval of the State board, additional alternative school
programs may
be established in an educational service region.  If the regional
superintendent determines that an additional alternative school is required in
the regional superintendent's educational service region, he or she may
petition the State board to
authorize one or more additional alternative school programs in
that region.

(f) In determining whether an additional alternative school program is
necessary and
appropriate for an educational service region requesting it, the State board
shall consider, among other factors, the following:

(1) the geographic size of the educational service

region and distances that students within that region must travel in order to attend the existing alternative school program;

(2) the student population of schools comprising the

educational service region and the likely student population of all alternative school programs within that region if the petition is granted;

(3) any other logistical considerations; and

(4) the costs necessitated by establishing an

additional alternative school in that educational service region.

(g) In the event the State board grants a petition for an additional
alternative school program, then the State board, after consulting the
regional
superintendent, shall decide where the additional alternative school
program shall be
located within that region.

(Source: P.A. 89-383, eff. 8-18-95; 89-629, eff. 8-9-96.)

105 ILCS 5/13A-4

(105 ILCS 5/13A-4)

Sec. 13A-4.

Administrative transfers.

A student who is determined to be
subject to suspension or expulsion in the manner provided by Section 10-22.6
(or,
in the case of a student enrolled in the public schools of a school district
organized under Article 34, in accordance with the uniform system of discipline
established under Section 34-19) may be
immediately transferred to the alternative program.  At the earliest time
following that transfer appropriate personnel from the sending school district
and appropriate personnel of the alternative program shall meet to develop an
alternative education plan for the student.  The student's parent or guardian
shall be invited to this meeting.  The student may be invited.  The alternative
educational plan shall include, but not be limited to all of the following:

(1) The duration of the plan, including a date after

which the student may be returned to the regular educational program in the public schools of the transferring district.  If the parent or guardian of a student who is scheduled to be returned to the regular education program in the public schools of the district files a written objection to the return with the principal of the alternative school, the matter shall be referred by the principal to the regional superintendent of the educational service region in which the alternative school program is located for a hearing.  Notice of the hearing shall be given by the regional superintendent to the student's parent or guardian.  After the hearing, the regional superintendent may take such action as he or she finds appropriate and in the best interests of the student.  The determination of the regional superintendent shall be final.

(2) The specific academic and behavioral components

of the plan.

(3) A method and time frame for reviewing the

student's progress.

Notwithstanding any other provision of this Article, if a student for whom an
individualized educational program has been developed under Article 14 is
transferred to an alternative school program under this Article 13A, that
individualized educational program shall continue to apply to that student
following the transfer unless modified in accordance with the provisions of
Article 14.

(Source: P.A. 89-383, eff. 8-18-95; 89-629, eff. 8-9-96.)

105 ILCS 5/13A-5

(105 ILCS 5/13A-5)

Sec. 13A-5.

Alternative school program curriculum.

(a) The regional superintendent
shall implement, or contract with one or more school districts to
implement, a
multi-disciplinary curriculum, which may include work-based learning and
community service
work approved by the regional
superintendent of schools in consultation with the State Board of Education
for which academic credit is earned, for the
alternative school program designed
to
address
the individualized needs of the students of that program, with
special
emphasis
toward making the educational experience of each student meaningful and
worthwhile.  In the design and implementation of that curriculum, the
regional superintendent or school district
shall give due consideration to the rules and regulations adopted by the State
Board of Education for alternative schools and optional education programs.
The regional superintendent or school district (i) may contract with third
parties for any services otherwise performed by employees and (ii) may apply
for waivers or modifications of mandates of this Code or of administrative
rules as provided in Section 2-3.25g of this Code and as are necessary for the
alternative school program.

(b) An administratively transferred student who successfully completes the
requirements for his or her high school graduation shall receive a diploma
identifying the student as graduating from the transferring high school.  In
the event the student is administratively transferred before enrolling in a
high school, then that student shall receive a diploma from the high school the
student would have attended if the student had not attended an alternative
school program.

(Source: P.A. 90-283, eff. 7-31-97; 91-318, eff. 7-29-99.)

105 ILCS 5/13A-6

(105 ILCS 5/13A-6)

Sec. 13A-6.

Administration; contracts; waivers.

(a) The regional superintendent shall administer, or contract with one or
more school districts to administer, alternative
school programs located within the educational service region.
The regional superintendent or school district (i) may contract with third
parties for any services otherwise performed by employees and (ii) may apply
for waivers or modifications of mandates of this Code or of
administrative rules as provided in Section 2-3.25g of this Code and as are
necessary for the alternative school program.

(b) The regional superintendent is responsible for the administrative and
fiscal structure for the program.

(Source: P.A. 91-318, eff. 7-29-99.)