Staff Directory

"Employee" means all full-time, part-time, and contractual employees, and appointed and elected officials of North Cook Intermediate Service Center (NCISC) which includes North Cook Young Adult Academy (NCYAA).

All NCISC employees are expected to maintain high standards in their work and/or school relationships, to demonstrate integrity and honesty, to be considerate and cooperative, and to maintain professional and appropriate relationships with students, parents, staff members, and others. In addition, the Code of Ethics for Illinois Educators, adopted by the Illinois State Board of Education, is incorporated into this Employee Code of Professional Conduct.

Any employee who sexually harasses a student, willfully or negligently fails to report an instance of suspected child abuse or neglect as required by the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act (325 ILCS 5/), engages in grooming as defined in 720 ILCS 5/11-25, engages in grooming behaviors, violates boundaries for appropriate school employee-student conduct, engages in sexual misconduct as defined in 105 ILCS 5/22-85.5, or otherwise violates an employee conduct standard will be subject to discipline up to and including dismissal. 

Standards related to school employee-student conduct, at a minimum, include and align with the following:

1. Compliance with the Code of Ethics for Illinois Educators, adopted by the Illinois State Board of Education;

2. Prohibit grooming behaviors and sexual misconduct including, but not limited to, any act, including, but not limited to, any verbal, nonverbal, written, or electronic communication or physical activity, by an employee with direct contact with a student, that is directed toward or with a student to establish a romantic or sexual relationship with the student. Examples include, but are not limited to:

   • A sexual or romantic invitation

   • Dating or soliciting a date

   • Engaging in sexualized or romantic dialog

   • Making sexually suggestive comments that are directed toward or with a student

   • Self-disclosure or physical exposure of a sexual, romantic, or erotic nature

   • Sexual, indecent, romantic, or erotic contact with a student;

3. Employees are expected to maintain professional relationships and appropriate boundaries with students.

   • Employees are strictly prohibited from using any form of communication with students including, but not limited to, e-mails, letters, notes, text messages, phone calls, social media messages, or conversations that includes any subject matter that would be deemed unprofessional and/or inappropriate between an employee and student. Employees must use a school provided or supported method to communicate with students whenever possible and are prohibited from using personal email, personal text messaging, personal direct messaging, personal social media accounts, or other forms of communication that are similar in nature.

   • Employees are not permitted to transport students in the employee’s privately owned vehicle, unless the employee has obtained prior permission of the North Cook Regional Superintendent/Executive Director or their designee.

   • Employees are not permitted to possess a photo or video of a student on their personal devices. Student pictures for school sponsored activities used in furtherance of North Cook’s educational mission are permitted, but once recorded must be downloaded from the staff member’s personal device, uploaded to a North Cook device or account, and deleted from the staff member’s personal device.

   • Employees are not permitted to meet with a student or contact a student outside the employee’s professional role, with the exception of when there is another established appropriate relationship (i.e. little league coach, community youth group leader, family relationship, etcetera). Employees are expected to avoid situations that could result in an actual or perceived inappropriate relationship between the employee and a student;

4. North Cook employees, whose responsibilities require them to regularly interact with students, are mandated reporters and required to comply with all reporting requirements of the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act (325 ILCS 5/), Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (20 U.S.C. §1681 et seq.), and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (20 U.S.C. § 7926);

5. Employees, students, parents, and any third party can report prohibited behaviors and/or boundary violations pursuant to North Cook’s policies, Title IX Sexual Harassment Grievance Procedures; Abused and Neglected Child Reporting procedures; or to the North Cook Executive Director, Assistant Assistant Executive Director, Director of Human Resources, their supervisor or another staff member the person feels comfortable reporting to; and

6. North Cook employees, whose responsibilities require them to regularly interact with students, are required to complete training related to educator ethics, child abuse, grooming behaviors, and boundary violations as required by law and school policies; Title IX Sexual Harassment Grievance Procedure; Awareness and Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse and Grooming Behaviors; and Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Staff Development Programs.

7. Employees who violate this Code of Professional Conduct or who fail to report a violation may be subject to disciplinary action up to and including dismissal from employment.