Notwithstanding any of the provisions of this Article for the elimination of non-high school territory and in addition to the exemptions provided in this Article for the elimination of non-high school territory, any non-high school territory that has no direct land connection with any school district to which it could be annexed or any school district whose inhabitants were entitled to the use and benefit of certain lands by virtue of an ancient grant prior to the admission of Illinois to the Union and which grant was recognized and confirmed by the government of the United States, may be permitted to remain non-high school territory, in whole or in part, or may be eliminated, in whole or in part, from the non-high school district of the county as part of an attachment, assignment, annexation, detachment, division, or dissolution action of the regional board of school trustees. In the event an elementary district is non-recognized by the State Board of Education, the elementary district and that portion of any non-high school district with coterminous boundaries with such elementary district shall be assigned, annexed, and attached to a unit district or to an elementary district and a high school district by the regional board of school trustees under the guidelines of Section 7-11.