FOR FAMILIES - Mclean County Unit District No. 5

Athletic Websites

Unit 5 Schools Athletic Web Sites

Welcome to the Unit 5 Athletic Information Page. On this page you will find sports information about Unit 5 schools as well as information about the schools they compete with.

IESA and IHSA Websites Junior High Schools and High Schools

Junior High Athletic Permission Form Concussion Information Form Junior High STUDENT ACKNOWLEDGMENT

Chiddix Junior High School https://il.8to18.com/chiddix/home
Evans Junior High School https://il.8to18.com/evansjhs/home
Kingsley Junior High School https://il.8to18.com/kingsleyjhs/home
Parkside Junior High School https://il.8to18.com/parkside/home
Normal Community High School https://schools.snap.app/nchs
Normal West High School https://il.8to18.com/ncwhs/home

Activity Fees

The McLean County School Board has set the following fees for co-curricular activities for the 2023-2024 school year:

$90 for each sport/activity. Students qualifying for reduced fees/lunches pay $45.00 for each sport/activity. Students qualifying for free fees/lunches have all co-curricular fees waived. The following activities have the above fees assessed at the high school level:

Girls: cross-country, golf, swimming, tennis, volleyball, basketball, soccer, softball, track, dance

Boys: cross country, football, golf, soccer, basketball, swimming, wrestling, baseball, tennis, track

Girls & Boys: cheerleading, band

The following activities have the above fees assessed at the junior high school level:

Girls: cross-country, volleyball, basketball, softball, track

Boys: cross country, basketball, wrestling, baseball, track

Student Accident Insurance Information https://www.1stagency.com//illinois/mcleancountycusd-5/?SchoolId=384

Attendance Exceptions

Attendance Exception Procedures

Individual school boundaries have been established for all Unit 5 Schools based on the residence of the parent or guardian. The following procedure has been established to address the issues of attending a school other than the one assigned.

For K-8 students, exceptions will be granted based on the enrollment numbers at the requested and the assigned schools.

For High School (9-12) students, exceptions will be granted only for documented health issues. In order for a student attending high school on an attendance exception basis to participate in any Illinois High School Association (IHSA) sponsored activities, the student must be declared eligible by that organization.

Receiving an attendance exception is a privilege, not a right. It is an expectation that children have regular attendance at school and maintain appropriate behavior. Should either of these become an issue, attendance exceptions may be revoked and students may be returned to their home school.

REQUESTS ARE NO LONGER BEING ACCEPTED FOR THE 2025-2026 School Year.

ATTENDANCE EXCEPTION FORM

Attendance Tips

Every Student Matters and Every Day Counts: Strive For 5

This year, Unit 5 will be focusing on reducing chronic absenteeism of students. Chronic absenteeism is when a student has been absent for any reason (excused or unexcused) for 10 percent or more of the school year.

Learn more about the Strive for 5 campaign on our Attendance Page.

Here are some tips for parents to encourage their students:

PRESCHOOL ATTENDANCE TIPS (SPANISH)

ELEMENTARY ATTENDANCE TIPS (SPANISH)

JUNIOR HIGH & HIGH SCHOOL ATTENDANCE TIPS (SPANISH)

Birthday Treat Policy

Concern Resolution

Inclement Weather

Unit 5 Winter Weather Procedure

Any decision to close schools or delay the start of a school day due to weather conditions will be made after careful consideration of the following factors:

Road conditions, especially in rural areas of the district
Precipitation (snow, sleet, freezing rain)
Temperature
Wind chill
Predicted changes in the weather conditions.

Student and staff safety is the ultimate factor when deciding if school should be cancelled. The decision-making process begins just after midnight with monitoring of the forecast, calls to law enforcement for information on road conditions, and consultation with other area school districts. Also, district officials physically drive throughout McLean County in the early morning hours to inspect bus routes. Every attempt will be made to decide to close school by 5:30 a.m. at the latest.

As soon as a decision is made, the information will appear immediately on the Unit 5 website. That is the fastest way to learn about a school closure. It will also be featured through local media outlets, including radio and television. A message will be sent as soon as a decision is made. Please understand that SchoolMessenger places more than 15,000 calls and it may take up to an hour for these calls to be completed. Therefore, the website and other forms of media may be the quickest source of information.

E-Learning days can be used in lieu of emergency days. As a result, our students will likely be remote learning on a day that would have previously been considered a “snow day.” The number of e-learning days may not exceed the number of emergency days in the approved school calendar, which is five. As always, we will notify families as soon as possible in the event of inclement weather.

e-learning days parent communication

New Volunteers

School Health

State Seal of Biliteracy

Transportation Change Request

This form can be used by parents for 2 purposes:

1. Parents can request changes to their child's bus route for special circumstances.

2. School bus stop appeals may be made by parents/guardians in cases in which the assigned bus stop location poses a safety hazard for the student. Typically, these include limited sight distance for drivers approaching the bus stop or bus stops located in a curve or on a hill. School bus stops are established using Illinois School Code and Unit 5 Board of Education guidelines.

Transportation Appeal Form

Unit 5 Student and Family Support

UNIT 5 STUDENT & FAMILY SUPPORT

Unit 5 recognizes that in some cases, students and families may need additional support provided outside of the classroom. If you have concerns or needs, please contact the school office at your student's school. The staff will connect you to the appropriate supports.

You can also contact community partner PATH, providing access to help.

WHERE DO I TURN - PATH

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Welcome Unit 5 Families!