General FAQ

Parents receive a phone call from the bus driver about two weeks prior to the start of school. The driver will inform them of the time and place of the stop.

If a student attends the Boys and Girls club, that is their default drop off location. If the student doesn't bring a note to the school requesting otherwise, they will be dropped off at the Boys and Girls club.

If the student doesn't already have an assigned bus, the parent needs to contact the school. Parents can speak to Laurie Crawford, ex. 324, or send her an email. 

We try to schedule bus routes to be no longer than an hour long for students. 

We have both 72 and 84-passenger buses, so your student will have opportunities to make new friends!

Buses are checked before and after every route. During these checks, inspection reports are filled out. If maintenance is needed, work is completed in a timely fashion.

Evacuation drills are conducted once per semester within the first forty-five days of the semester. This helps prepare students for any potential issues that may arise.

Most of our buses are equipped with seatbelts. Buses are considered safer for student transport than 'regular' vehicles.

There is currently no cost for students to ride the bus. Simply request a bus stop and your student will be able to ride!

If your child is having issues with another student on the bus, report the problem to both the bus driver and the appropriate school office. We want to maintain a safe environment for all children on and off the bus.

If you're having problems with your designated driver, please contact the Corporation Office. 

To request a different bus, a parent must submit a signed request (note) to the appropriate building office. Children may only ride a different bus due to childcare issues.

A licensed bus driver drives the bus. To be able to drive a bus, the driver must have special training and obtain certification from IDOE and BMV.

The cost of a meal varies between the type of meal and the building. These prices reflect current (as of 8/6/2024) costs of meals: 

Student Breakfast - $2.00
Elementary Student Lunch: $2.90
Middle School Student Lunch: $3.00
High School Student Lunch: $3.30

The student gets their lunch, and the account is charged for the items they purchased accordingly with their status.

If the student is a "free" student, they would get the meal for free as long as they follow the "reimbursable meal" model, but that same student would pay the full price if they only took a hot dog, as example, or ice cream.

Our school has a charging policy in the board policies. This allows students who go into a negative balance to get a meal, but not to purchase "a la carte" items--like ice cream and chips.

A student will be informed that their lunch balance is negative, if they are unaware, and the parent(s) will be informed as well. If a student maintains a negative balance for too long and acquires a balance over $20.00 negative, we begin intervention processes. This may include things like parent contact and/or utilizing donations to help, and--in some cases--potentially speaking with CPS.

Students walk through the line and make their lunch item choices as they go. Once they exit the line, they arrive at a register and type in their lunch number on a keypad and checkout.

If a student forgets their lunch number, the food service professionals can type in the student's name.

The school contracts Aramark as their Food Service Management Company. We utilize the global supply chain and buying power benefits to get a reduced price for the food we offer students.

We utilize programs that are approved by the DOE to build menus that meet the many requirements of school lunch (ex. how much sodium or calories an item has, how often they must have certain colored vegetables etc).

We then utilize approved vendors to purchase the items needed to offer the food choices on the menu we built.

At a minimum, students must have a fruit or veggie, as well as two other items. A full meal option would include an entree (includes protein and grain, such as a chicken sandwich or meatloaf and roll, etc), a milk, two choices of fruit, and two choices of veggies.

The food meets the requirements set forth by the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act. Meals are considered to be well-balanced and rounded.

To summarize, students choose between a variety of entrées that include a protein and grain component. They then choose from an assortment of fruits, veggies, and milks.

Students can choose whatever they want and will be charged accordingly, but if they want the "meal" price from the state*, they must have at least three components--one of which must be a fruit or vegetable.

If they follow the three components/one of which is fruit/vegetable, that is a "reimbursable meal" and they get charged the meal price (in some student cases, that would mean it is free).

If they do not follow these requirements, they simply get charged normal pricing for each item chosen.

*Where a student would get a reduced-priced or free meal

Parents should notify the school nurse of the allergy. Nurses would communicate that information with Adam Proulx, and he would inform the kitchen staff.

You can also use this meal modification request form to communicate your request.

We buy from various approved vendors, such as Sysco, Prairie Farms, and Hershey.

Parents can submit a ticket to our online ticketing system to request an account.

If your child is responsible for damaging school-owned equipment--regardless of whether or not it was their own school-issued device--you will receive a bill for that damage.

For instance, if your child damages their own device, you'll receive a bill. However, if your child was responsible for damaging another student's device, you will still receive a bill. 

The cost of the repair depends on the kind of damage that occurred. Typically, the first time a student damages a device, the cost is $50.

If the device is damaged again, the cost is $100. It is important to note that this is the cost for the second instance of damage itself--so, if the student damaged their loaner device, the cost of repairing the loaner would be $100 because it is the second time the student damaged equipment.

If the student damages a device yet again, the bill is for the full cost of replacing the device entirely. 

Students' online safety is a top priority for us. Because of that, we utilize the Securly content filter. Think of it like this:

1. A student attempts to navigate to a website
2. The student's device checks in with Securly to make sure the site is safe for the student
3. If the site is safe, it loads and the student can review the information on the site
4. If the site is not safe/inappropriate, the student receives a "this page is blocked" notice.

Securly ensures all students are safe online. Concerned parents can sign up for Securly reports. These reports list your student's online activities.

If your student is in elementary school, you should notify the student's primary teacher of the damage. The teacher will notify the technology department.

If your student is in middle or high school, they can directly report to the technology office in their respective building for assistance. 

Your child will receive a loaner device while their device is being repaired. Once the device has been repaired, it will be reissued to the student and a bill will be mailed to you.

It is important to note that if your student damages the loaner device, you will be billed for that as well. Please advise your child to take care of their equipment.

New students receive their equipment as soon as it is prepared for them. During the school year, this will typically be within two or three days of their first day at school.

During the beginning of the school year, they may face a longer waiting period, due to the chaos of the new year. 

If your child is unable to access the internet on your home network, while they can access materials fine at school, the issue is with your home network. TCSC does not currently offer support for off-campus network issues.

Here are common issues that may prevent online access at home:

• Security settings on the home router are too strict
• Child protections on the home router are too strict
• ISP (internet service provider) issues
• Home network prevents proxy usage

Because Securly, our online protection service for students, uses a proxy to ensure safety online, you may need to adjust your router settings to allow proxy usage.

If your student is in high school and has an Apple MacBook, the cost of a new charger is $55. They can take money to the high school technology office to receive a new charger.

If your student is in elementary or middle school and uses an Apple iPad, the cost of a new charger is $35. They can take that money to the elementary or middle school technology office, respectively, to receive a new charger.

Alternatively, you can purchase your own charger at your convenience. Please ensure you use Apple brand charging equipment. 

The school only provides one charger per student device; it is the child's/family's responsibility to keep track of their equipment. Lost equipment will be billed accordingly.

In some instances, we can assist in finding lost devices. However, this is not always the case. If a student loses their school-issued device and is unable to locate it, the family will be billed for the complete cost of a replacement.

The cost of replacing a MacBook is $1,000, and the cost of replacing an iPad is $500.

If your student is in elementary school, they can ask their teacher about their problem (or you can send a note to school with them). If the teacher is unable to help, they can request assistance from the technology department.

Students in middle or high school can visit their building's technology office.

If you like, you may submit a ticket to our online ticketing system and a technology representative will respond.