At a regular meeting, the Sycamore Community City Board of Education reviewed a set of statutorily driven policy updates and accepted staff guidance to hold off on revising a religious‑release policy while legal counsel monitors pending litigation.

Administrators presented four policy items listed for first read: GBH/JM (student‑staff relations), IGBLA (promoting parental involvement), IKF (graduation requirements) and JGE (student expulsion). Officials said the district has updated draft language to reflect recent state guidance and the parental‑notification provisions known as the “parental bill of rights.”

“Parents should be engaged upfront with all of those conversations,” an administrator said while describing the IGBLA draft, which requires parental notification for changes to a child’s mental or physical health services and permits parental opt‑out of certain instruction for K–3 students. The presentation noted the district will continue staff training, especially for counselors and mandated reporters.

Administrators also said they were told at 3:45 p.m. the district should “put the brakes” on advancing its religious‑release time (RRTI) policy to the board because of pending litigation involving model policy language developed by outside vendors. The administration said it will not return the RRTI language for first read until counsel gives clearer direction.

Public comment at the meeting focused on the parental‑notification language. Amy Shaiman, introduced as a resident from Acrewood Drive, told the board that mandatory notification provisions could deter abused or at‑risk children from seeking help. “When you put notifying parents ahead of a child's safety ... you are unintentionally intentionally endangering those children,” Shaiman said, citing CDC statistics and urging the district to craft language that preserves safe, confidential reporting pathways.

Board members said they share the goal of protecting students while complying with state law. The board approved two separate, related items on the consent agenda during the meeting: a resolution authorizing OSBA to standardize clerical updates across district policies and an updated Special Education Model Policies and Procedures resolution (version 1.02) that administrators said reflects feedback from statewide roundtable sessions. Both approvals passed on voice or roll‑call votes with recorded ayes.

Administrators said legal counsel will continue to work on the RRTI language and will return recommended language when the counsel confirms it complies with litigation guidance and state requirements. The administration also highlighted ongoing staff training to implement parental‑notification provisions while minimizing harm to vulnerable students.

Ending: The board did not adopt new disciplinary or parental‑notification policy language at the meeting; instead members approved housekeeping and model‑policy resolutions and directed staff and legal counsel to proceed cautiously on RRTI and related parental‑notification rules.