Section 205.20  Purpose

a)         This Part establishes the procedure and criteria for approval of applications, submitted by eligible applicants to the State Board of Education, for grants to assist the applicants in establishing truants' alternative and optional education programs as authorized in Section 2-3.66 of the School Code. [105 ILCS 5/2-3.66]

b)         Programs funded under this grant shall serve students identified as one of the following:

1)         a truant, as defined in Section 26-2a of the School Code [105 ILCS 5/26-2a]; or

2)         a chronic or habitual truant, as defined in Section 26-2a of the School Code; or

3)         a dropout, as defined in Section 26-2a of the School Code; or

4)         a potential dropout, which is any student subject to compulsory attendance as defined in Article 26 of the School Code [105 ILCS 5/Art. 26] and whose school absences or pattern of school attendance impedes the student's learning or contributes to the student's failure to meet State and/or district learning standards.  Attendance problems may include chronic truancy, truancy, selective absences, excessive absences or a pattern of absences or tardiness. In assessing whether marginal school attendance problems would place a student within the definition of "potential dropout," consideration shall be given to a student's personal involvement in the education process, apparent motivation to receive an education, or any continued and obvious apathy or disaffection for education, particularly, when indications of uninvolvement, lack of motivation or disaffection are coupled with currently known individual or family circumstances that, if they remain unresolved, would be reasonably expected to result in escalating attendance problems.

(Source:  Amended at 25 Ill. Reg. 2399, effective January 25, 2001)