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Illinois Compiled Statutes

Information maintained by the Legislative Reference Bureau
Updating the database of the Illinois Compiled Statutes (ILCS) is an ongoing process. Recent laws may not yet be included in the ILCS database, but they are found on this site as Public Acts soon after they become law. For information concerning the relationship between statutes and Public Acts, refer to the Guide.

Because the statute database is maintained primarily for legislative drafting purposes, statutory changes are sometimes included in the statute database before they take effect. If the source note at the end of a Section of the statutes includes a Public Act that has not yet taken effect, the version of the law that is currently in effect may have already been removed from the database and you should refer to that Public Act to see the changes made to the current law.

SCHOOLS
(105 ILCS 5/) School Code.

105 ILCS 5/27-13.3

    (105 ILCS 5/27-13.3)
    Sec. 27-13.3. Internet safety education curriculum.
    (a) The purpose of this Section is to inform and protect students from inappropriate or illegal communications and solicitation and to encourage school districts to provide education about Internet threats and risks, including without limitation child predators, fraud, and other dangers.
    (b) The General Assembly finds and declares the following:
        (1) it is the policy of this State to protect
    
consumers and Illinois residents from deceptive and unsafe communications that result in harassment, exploitation, or physical harm;
        (2) children have easy access to the Internet at
    
home, school, and public places;
        (3) the Internet is used by sexual predators and
    
other criminals to make initial contact with children and other vulnerable residents in Illinois; and
        (4) education is an effective method for preventing
    
children from falling prey to online predators, identity theft, and other dangers.
    (c) Each school may adopt an age-appropriate curriculum for Internet safety instruction of students in grades kindergarten through 12. However, beginning with the 2009-2010 school year, a school district must incorporate into the school curriculum a component on Internet safety to be taught at least once each school year to students in grades 3 through 12. The school board shall determine the scope and duration of this unit of instruction. The age-appropriate unit of instruction may be incorporated into the current courses of study regularly taught in the district's schools, as determined by the school board, and it is recommended that the unit of instruction include the following topics:
        (1) Safe and responsible use of social networking
    
websites, chat rooms, electronic mail, bulletin boards, instant messaging, and other means of communication on the Internet.
        (2) Recognizing, avoiding, and reporting online
    
solicitations of students, their classmates, and their friends by sexual predators.
        (3) Risks of transmitting personal information on the
    
Internet.
        (4) Recognizing and avoiding unsolicited or deceptive
    
communications received online.
        (5) Recognizing and reporting online harassment and
    
cyber-bullying.
        (6) Reporting illegal activities and communications
    
on the Internet.
        (7) Copyright laws on written materials, photographs,
    
music, and video.
    (d) Curricula devised in accordance with subsection (c) of this Section may be submitted for review to the Office of the Illinois Attorney General.
    (e) The State Board of Education shall make available resource materials for educating children regarding child online safety and may take into consideration the curriculum on this subject developed by other states, as well as any other curricular materials suggested by education experts, child psychologists, or technology companies that work on child online safety issues. Materials may include without limitation safe online communications, privacy protection, cyber-bullying, viewing inappropriate material, file sharing, and the importance of open communication with responsible adults. The State Board of Education shall make these resource materials available on its Internet website.
(Source: P.A. 95-509, eff. 8-28-07; 95-869, eff. 1-1-09; 96-734, eff. 8-25-09.)

105 ILCS 5/27-14

    (105 ILCS 5/27-14) (from Ch. 122, par. 27-14)
    Sec. 27-14. Experiments upon animals.
    No experiment upon any living animal for the purpose of demonstration in any study shall be made in any public school. No animal provided by, or killed in the presence of any pupil of a public school shall be used for dissection in such school, and in no case shall dogs or cats be killed for such purposes. Dissection of dead animals, or parts thereof, shall be confined to the classroom and shall not be practiced in the presence of any pupil not engaged in the study to be illustrated thereby.
(Source: Laws 1961, p. 31.)

105 ILCS 5/27-15

    (105 ILCS 5/27-15) (from Ch. 122, par. 27-15)
    Sec. 27-15. Moral and humane education - In institute programs. The superintendent of each region and city shall include once each year moral and humane education in the program of the teachers' institute which is held under his supervision.
(Source: P.A. 79-597.)

105 ILCS 5/27-16

    (105 ILCS 5/27-16)
    Sec. 27-16. (Repealed).
(Source: Laws 1961, p. 31. Repealed by P.A. 94-1105, eff. 6-1-07.)

105 ILCS 5/27-17

    (105 ILCS 5/27-17) (from Ch. 122, par. 27-17)
    Sec. 27-17. Safety education. School boards of public schools and all boards in charge of educational institutions supported wholly or partially by the State may provide instruction in safety education in all grades and include such instruction in the courses of study regularly taught therein.
    In this Section, "safety education" means and includes instruction in the following:
        1. automobile safety, including traffic regulations,
    
highway safety, and the consequences of alcohol consumption and the operation of a motor vehicle;
        2. safety in the home, including safe gun storage;
        3. safety in connection with recreational activities;
        4. safety in and around school buildings;
        5. safety in connection with vocational work or
    
training;
        6. cardio-pulmonary resuscitation for students
    
enrolled in grades 9 through 11;
        7. for students enrolled in grades 6 through 8,
    
cardio-pulmonary resuscitation and how to use an automated external defibrillator by watching a training video on those subjects; and
        8. for students enrolled in prekindergarten through
    
grade 6, water safety that incorporates evidence-based water safety instructional materials and resources.
    Such boards may make suitable provisions in the schools and institutions under their jurisdiction for instruction in safety education for not less than 16 hours during each school year.
    The curriculum in all educator preparation programs approved by the State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board shall contain instruction in safety education for teachers that is appropriate to the grade level of the educator license. This instruction may be by specific courses in safety education or may be incorporated in existing subjects taught in the educator preparation program.
(Source: P.A. 102-971, eff. 1-1-23; 103-567, eff. 12-8-23.)

105 ILCS 5/27-18

    (105 ILCS 5/27-18) (from Ch. 122, par. 27-18)
    Sec. 27-18. Arbor and bird day. The last Friday in April is designated as "Arbor and Bird Day," to be observed throughout the State as a day for planting trees, shrubs and vines about public grounds, and as a day on which to hold appropriate exercises in the public schools and elsewhere tending to show the value of trees and birds and the necessity for their protection.
(Source: P.A. 92-85, eff. 7-12-01.)

105 ILCS 5/27-19

    (105 ILCS 5/27-19) (from Ch. 122, par. 27-19)
    Sec. 27-19. Leif Erickson day.
    October 9, if a school day, otherwise the school day nearest such date, is designated as Leif Erikson Day. On such day one-half hour may be devoted in the schools to instruction and appropriate exercises relative to and in commemoration of the life and history of Leif Erickson and the principles and ideals he fostered.
(Source: Laws 1961, p. 31.)

105 ILCS 5/27-20

    (105 ILCS 5/27-20) (from Ch. 122, par. 27-20)
    Sec. 27-20. American Indian day.
    The fourth Friday of September is designated "American Indian Day," to be observed throughout the State as a day on which to hold appropriate exercises in commemoration of the American Indians.
(Source: Laws 1961, p. 31.)

105 ILCS 5/27-20.05

    (105 ILCS 5/27-20.05)
    Sec. 27-20.05. Native American history study.
    (a) Beginning with the 2024-2025 school year, every public elementary school and high school social studies course pertaining to American history or government shall include in its curriculum a unit of instruction studying the events of the Native American experience and Native American history within the Midwest and this State since time immemorial. These events shall include the contributions of Native Americans in government and the arts, humanities, and sciences, as well as the contributions of Native Americans to the economic, cultural, social, and political development of their own nations and of the United States. The unit of instruction must describe large urban Native American populations in this State, including the history and experiences of contemporary Native Americans living in this State. Instruction in grades 6 through 12 shall include the study of the genocide of and discrimination against Native Americans, as well as tribal sovereignty, treaties made between tribal nations and the United States, and the circumstances around forced Native American relocation. This unit of instruction may be integrated as part of the unit of instruction required under Section 27-20.03 or 27-21 of this Code.
    (b) The State Superintendent of Education may prepare and make available to all school boards instructional materials and professional development opportunities that may be used as guidelines for development of a unit of instruction under this Section. However, each school board shall itself determine the minimum amount of instructional time that qualifies as a unit of instruction satisfying the requirements of this Section.
    (c) The regional superintendent of schools shall monitor a school district's compliance with this Section's curricular requirements during the regional superintendent's annual compliance visit and make recommendations for improvement, including professional development.
(Source: P.A. 103-422, eff. 8-4-23.)

105 ILCS 5/27-20.08

    (105 ILCS 5/27-20.08)
    Sec. 27-20.08. Media literacy.
    (a) In this Section, "media literacy" means the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, create, and communicate using a variety of objective forms, including, but not limited to, print, visual, audio, interactive, and digital texts.
    (b) Beginning with the 2022-2023 school year, every public high school shall include in its curriculum a unit of instruction on media literacy. The unit of instruction shall include, but is not limited to, all of the following topics:
        (1) Accessing information: Evaluating multiple media
    
platforms to better understand the general landscape and economics of the platforms, as well as issues regarding the trustworthiness of the source of information.
        (2) Analyzing and evaluating media messages:
    
Deconstructing media representations according to the authors, target audience, techniques, agenda setting, stereotypes, and authenticity to distinguish fact from opinion.
        (3) Creating media: Conveying a coherent message
    
using multimodal practices to a specific target audience. This may include, but is not limited to, writing blogs, composing songs, designing video games, producing podcasts, making videos, or coding a mobile or software application.
        (4) Reflecting on media consumption: Assessing how
    
media affects the consumption of information and how it triggers emotions and behavior.
        (5) Social responsibility and civics: Suggesting a
    
plan of action in the class, school, or community to engage others in a respectful, thoughtful, and inclusive dialogue over a specific issue using facts and reason.
    (c) The State Board of Education shall determine how to prepare and make available instructional resources and professional learning opportunities for educators that may be used for the development of a unit of instruction under this Section.
(Source: P.A. 102-55, eff. 7-9-21.)