101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2019 and 2020
SB1601

 

Introduced 2/15/2019, by Sen. Elgie R. Sims, Jr.

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
105 ILCS 5/27-21  from Ch. 122, par. 27-21

    Amends the School Code. With regard to the required history of the United States course, provides that, beginning with the 2020-2021 school year, the course must also include instruction on the history of Illinois.


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FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY
STATE MANDATES ACT MAY REQUIRE REIMBURSEMENT

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

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1    AN ACT concerning education.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Section
527-21 as follows:
 
6    (105 ILCS 5/27-21)  (from Ch. 122, par. 27-21)
7    Sec. 27-21. History of United States. History of the United
8States shall be taught in all public schools and in all other
9educational institutions in this State supported or
10maintained, in whole or in part, by public funds. The teaching
11of history shall have as one of its objectives the imparting to
12pupils of a comprehensive idea of our democratic form of
13government and the principles for which our government stands
14as regards other nations, including the studying of the place
15of our government in world-wide movements and the leaders
16thereof, with particular stress upon the basic principles and
17ideals of our representative form of government. The teaching
18of history shall include a study of the role and contributions
19of African Americans and other ethnic groups including but not
20restricted to Polish, Lithuanian, German, Hungarian, Irish,
21Bohemian, Russian, Albanian, Italian, Czech, Slovak, French,
22Scots, Hispanics, Asian Americans, etc., in the history of this
23country and this State. To reinforce the study of the role and

 

 

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1contributions of Hispanics, such curriculum shall include the
2study of the events related to the forceful removal and illegal
3deportation of Mexican-American U.S. citizens during the Great
4Depression. The teaching of history also shall include a study
5of the role of labor unions and their interaction with
6government in achieving the goals of a mixed free enterprise
7system. Beginning with the 2020-2021 school year, the teaching
8of history must also include instruction on the history of
9Illinois. No pupils shall be graduated from the eighth grade of
10any public school unless he has received such instruction in
11the history of the United States and gives evidence of having a
12comprehensive knowledge thereof.
13(Source: P.A. 96-629, eff. 1-1-10.)