Health & Safety

Click here for information about student health forms. You can also view the Chicago Public Schools’ minimum health requirements and forms to ensure your child may be enrolled at South Loop Elementary School.

The CPS site outlines key dates and forms around dental, vision, physical exams, and immunizations.  A copy of these completed forms should be provided to the school nurse in person (mailbox located in the Main Office) or by fax 773-534-8689.

Medical exclusions begin in the month of October for students not in compliance.

Exemptions: Waivers for religious or medical reasons must be submitted in writing as described in the Board of Education Policy 704.1.

Breakfast: South Loop Elementary School provides a free breakfast to all students in all grades. Enrollment: No application or enrollment is required.

Lunch: South Loop Elementary School provides a free lunch to all students in all grades. Students can bring their own lunch — please note the school is a candy, gum and nut free school. Glass bottles are not allowed.

Enrollment: While all students receive a free lunch, it is imperative to complete the lunch applications provided at the start of each school year to secure appropriate school funding.

View school menus 

South Loop Elementary School is free from gum, candy, and nuts.

Our nut-free policy includes all tree nuts, including almonds, brazil nuts, cashews, chestnuts, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios and walnuts.  In order to ensure the safety of all children, please adhere to this school-wide policy, refraining from all nut products.

Some nut alternatives in lieu of peanut butter or almond butter include sunflower seed spread (sunbutter) or soy nut butter, as neither contain nuts.  For pre-packaged lunches (like a Lunchables), any candy, gum, or nut products must be removed prior to sending to school.

Approved allergen free snack list *Free of peanuts, tree nuts, and eggs

Every CPS school creates a plan to help the school manage an emergency event, and these plans are updated on an annual basis. Staff members are familiar with emergency plans and parents should understand their role in the Chicago Public Schools emergency planning efforts.

Three important areas in which parents can assist in emergency planning for schools are:

• Reinforce your child’s understanding of the emergency codes for Evacuation, Lockdown, Shelter-in-Place, and All Clear (“ELSA”).
• Ensure the emergency contact information in your child’s file is up to date and accurate.
• Know where to find information in a school emergency and understand the process to reunite with your child.

ELSA Emergency Codes

E – Evacuation: Fire alarm is sounded or an announcement orders the school to be evacuated.  When an evacuation from a school due to fire or other hazard is called, school personnel will escort students to a designated area around the school. In certain situations to ensure safety, students may be moved to an alternate location that is part of the overall school emergency plan.

L – Lockdown: No one moves unless otherwise announced by school administrators or emergency personnel. All exterior doors, classroom doors and windows are closed and locked until further direction is given.

S – Shelter-in-Place: Appropriate for weather emergencies such as a tornado or a threat in the neighborhood.  Students and staff proceed to the designated interior location.

A – All Clear: Incident has resolved and the school is returning to normal operations.

Parent/Child Reunification

Following an emergency, school staff will follow the below protocols to reunite parents/guardians with their children:

• Parents/guardians may be directed to a parent reunification staging area.
• Custodial parents/guardian or persons on the child’s emergency pick-up list may be asked to show identification, even if school staff are familiar with you.

Contact/Information Resources

• Ensure the emergency contact information in your child’s file is up to date and accurate.
• During a Lockdown or Shelter-in-Place, CPD and CFD will not allow anyone access to the school area.
• CPS will provide regular updates to the public via their main telephone line (773-553-3335), their website (www.cps.edu) and local radio and television outlets.
• Telephone lines may experience heavy use during an emergency and may not work because they are overloaded. If you have access to the internet, TV or radio, please use that instead of phones to allow the school to use them to obtain any emergency help they may need.