Illinois General Assembly

  Bills & Resolutions  
  Compiled Statutes  
  Public Acts  
  Legislative Reports  
  IL Constitution  
  Legislative Guide  
  Legislative Glossary  

 Search By Number
 (example: HB0001)
Search Tips

Search By Keyword

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 5/34-18.43

    (105 ILCS 5/34-18.43)
    Sec. 34-18.43. Establishing an equitable and effective school facility development process.
    (a) The General Assembly finds all of the following:
        (1) The Illinois Constitution recognizes that a
    
"fundamental goal of the People of the State is the educational development of all persons to the limits of their capacities".
        (2) Quality educational facilities are essential for
    
fostering the maximum educational development of all persons through their educational experience from pre-kindergarten through high school.
        (3) The public school is a major institution in our
    
communities. Public schools offer resources and opportunities for the children of this State who seek and deserve quality education, but also benefit the entire community that seeks improvement through access to education.
        (4) The equitable and efficient use of available
    
facilities-related resources among different schools and among racial, ethnic, income, and disability groups is essential to maximize the development of quality public educational facilities for all children, youth, and adults. The factors that impact the equitable and efficient use of facility-related resources vary according to the needs of each school community. Therefore, decisions that impact school facilities should include the input of the school community to the greatest extent possible.
        (5) School openings, school closings, school
    
consolidations, school turnarounds, school phase-outs, school construction, school repairs, school modernizations, school boundary changes, and other related school facility decisions often have a profound impact on education in a community. In order to minimize the negative impact of school facility decisions on the community, these decisions should be implemented according to a clear system-wide criteria and with the significant involvement of local school councils, parents, educators, and the community in decision-making.
        (6) The General Assembly has previously stated that
    
it intended to make the individual school in the City of Chicago the essential unit for educational governance and improvement and to place the primary responsibility for school governance and improvement in the hands of parents, teachers, and community residents at each school. A school facility policy must be consistent with these principles.
    (b) In order to ensure that school facility-related decisions are made with the input of the community and reflect educationally sound and fiscally responsible criteria, a Chicago Educational Facilities Task Force shall be established within 15 days after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 96th General Assembly.
    (c) The Chicago Educational Facilities Task Force shall consist of all of the following members:
        (1) Two members of the House of Representatives
    
appointed by the Speaker of the House, at least one of whom shall be a member of the Elementary & Secondary Education Committee.
        (2) Two members of the House of Representatives
    
appointed by the Minority Leader of the House, at least one of whom shall be a member of the Elementary & Secondary Education Committee.
        (3) Two members of the Senate appointed by the
    
President of the Senate, at least one of whom shall be a member of the Education Committee.
        (4) Two members of the Senate appointed by the
    
Minority Leader of the Senate, at least one of whom shall be a member of the Education Committee.
        (5) Two representatives of school community
    
organizations with past involvement in school facility issues appointed by the Speaker of the House.
        (6) Two representatives of school community
    
organizations with past involvement in school facility issues appointed by the President of the Senate.
        (7) The chief executive officer of the school
    
district or his or her designee.
        (8) The president of the union representing teachers
    
in the schools of the district or his or her designee.
        (9) The president of the association representing
    
principals in the schools of the district or his or her designee.
    (d) The Speaker of the House shall appoint one of the appointed House members as a co-chairperson of the Chicago Educational Facilities Task Force. The President of the Senate shall appoint one of the appointed Senate members as a co-chairperson of the Chicago Educational Facilities Task Force. Members appointed by the legislative leaders shall be appointed for the duration of the Chicago Educational Facilities Task Force; in the event of a vacancy, the appointment to fill the vacancy shall be made by the legislative leader of the same chamber and party as the leader who made the original appointment.
    (e) The Chicago Educational Facilities Task Force shall call on independent experts, as needed, to gather and analyze pertinent information on a pro bono basis, provided that these experts have no previous or on-going financial interest in school facility issues related to the school district. The Chicago Educational Facilities Task Force shall secure pro bono expert assistance within 15 days after the establishment of the Chicago Educational Facilities Task Force.
    (f) The Chicago Educational Facilities Task Force shall be empowered to gather further evidence in the form of testimony or documents or other materials.
    (g) The Chicago Educational Facilities Task Force, with the help of the independent experts, shall analyze past Chicago experiences and data with respect to school openings, school closings, school consolidations, school turnarounds, school phase-outs, school construction, school repairs, school modernizations, school boundary changes, and other related school facility decisions on students. The Chicago Educational Facilities Task Force shall consult widely with stakeholders, including public officials, about these facility issues and their related costs and shall examine relevant best practices from other school systems for dealing with these issues systematically and equitably. These initial investigations shall include opportunities for input from local stakeholders through hearings, focus groups, and interviews.
    (h) The Chicago Educational Facilities Task Force shall prepare recommendations describing how the issues set forth in subsection (g) of this Section can be addressed effectively based upon educationally sound and fiscally responsible practices.
    (i) The Chicago Educational Facilities Task Force shall hold hearings in separate areas of the school district at times that shall maximize school community participation to obtain comments on draft recommendations. The final hearing shall take place no later than 15 days prior to the completion of the final recommendations.
    (j) The Chicago Educational Facilities Task Force shall prepare final proposed policy and legislative recommendations for the General Assembly, the Governor, and the school district. The recommendations may address issues, standards, and procedures set forth in this Section. The final recommendations shall be made available to the public through posting on the school district's Internet website and other forms of publication and distribution in the school district at least 7 days before the recommendations are submitted to the General Assembly, the Governor, and the school district.
    (k) The recommendations may address issues of system-wide criteria for ensuring clear priorities, equity, and efficiency.
    Without limitation, the final recommendations may propose significant decision-making roles for key stakeholders, including the individual school and community; recommend clear criteria or processes for establishing criteria for making school facility decisions; and include clear criteria for setting priorities with respect to school openings, school closings, school consolidations, school turnarounds, school phase-outs, school construction, school repairs, school modernizations, school boundary changes, and other related school facility decisions, including the encouragement of multiple community uses for school space.
    Without limitation, the recommendations may propose criteria for student mobility; the transferring of students to lower performing schools; teacher mobility; insufficient notice to and the lack of inclusion in decision-making of local school councils, parents, and community members about school facility decisions; and costly facilities-related expenditures due to poor educational and facilities planning.
    (l) The State Board of Education and the school district shall provide administrative support to the Chicago Educational Facilities Task Force.
    (m) After recommendations have been issued, the Chicago Educational Facilities Task Force shall meet upon the call of the chairs, for the purpose of reviewing Chicago public schools' compliance with the provisions of Sections 34-200 through 34-235 of this Code concerning school action and facility master planning. The Task Force shall prepare a report to the General Assembly, the Governor's Office, the Mayor of the City of Chicago, and the Chicago Board of Education indicating how the district has met the requirements of the provisions of Sections 34-200 through 34-235 of this Code concerning school action and facility master planning.
(Source: P.A. 102-539, eff. 8-20-21.)

105 ILCS 5/34-18.44

    (105 ILCS 5/34-18.44)
    Sec. 34-18.44. American Sign Language courses. The school board is encouraged to implement American Sign Language courses into school foreign language curricula.
(Source: P.A. 96-843, eff. 6-1-10; 97-333, eff. 8-12-11.)

105 ILCS 5/34-18.45

    (105 ILCS 5/34-18.45)
    Sec. 34-18.45. Minimum reading instruction. The board shall promote 60 minutes of minimum reading opportunities daily for students in kindergarten through 3rd grade whose reading level is one grade level or lower than their current grade level according to current learning standards and the school district.
(Source: P.A. 97-88, eff. 7-8-11; 97-813, eff. 7-13-12; 98-463, eff. 8-16-13.)

105 ILCS 5/34-18.46

    (105 ILCS 5/34-18.46)
    Sec. 34-18.46. (Repealed).
(Source: P.A. 97-813, eff. 7-13-12. Repealed by P.A. 99-245, eff. 8-3-15.)

105 ILCS 5/34-18.47

    (105 ILCS 5/34-18.47)
    Sec. 34-18.47. Youth program. The board may develop a plan for implementing a program that seeks to establish common bonds between youth of various backgrounds and ethnicities, which may be similar to that of the Challenge Day organization.
(Source: P.A. 97-909, eff. 1-1-13; 98-463, eff. 8-16-13.)

105 ILCS 5/34-18.48

    (105 ILCS 5/34-18.48)
    Sec. 34-18.48. Bring Your Parents to School Day. The board may designate the first Monday in October of each year "Bring Your Parents to School Day" to promote parental involvement and student success. On this day, the board may permit the parents or guardians of students to attend class with their children and meet with teachers and administrators during the school day.
(Source: P.A. 98-304, eff. 1-1-14.)

105 ILCS 5/34-18.49

    (105 ILCS 5/34-18.49)
    Sec. 34-18.49. Carbon monoxide alarm required.
    (a) In this Section:
    "Approved carbon monoxide alarm" and "alarm" have the meaning ascribed to those terms in the Carbon Monoxide Alarm Detector Act.
    "Carbon monoxide detector" and "detector" mean a device having a sensor that responds to carbon monoxide gas and that is connected to an alarm control unit and approved in accordance with rules adopted by the State Fire Marshal.
    (b) The board shall require that each school under its authority be equipped with approved carbon monoxide alarms or carbon monoxide detectors. The alarms must be powered as follows:
        (1) For a school designed before January 1, 2016 (the
    
effective date of Public Act 99-470), alarms powered by batteries are permitted. Alarms permanently powered by the building's electrical system and monitored by any required fire alarm system are also permitted.
        (2) For a school designed on or after January 1, 2016
    
(the effective date of Public Act 99-470), alarms must be permanently powered by the building's electrical system or be an approved carbon monoxide detection system. An installation required in this subdivision (2) must be monitored by any required fire alarm system.
    Alarms or detectors must be located within 20 feet of a carbon monoxide emitting device. Alarms or detectors must be in operating condition and be inspected annually. A school is exempt from the requirements of this Section if it does not have or is not close to any sources of carbon monoxide. A school must require plans, protocols, and procedures in response to the activation of a carbon monoxide alarm or carbon monoxide detection system.
(Source: P.A. 99-470, eff. 1-1-16; 100-201, eff. 8-18-17.)

105 ILCS 5/34-18.50

    (105 ILCS 5/34-18.50)
    Sec. 34-18.50. Accelerate College pilot program. The district may enter into an Accelerate College educational partnership agreement as authorized under Section 3-42.4 of the Public Community College Act.
(Source: P.A. 99-611, eff. 7-22-16; 100-201, eff. 8-18-17.)

105 ILCS 5/34-18.51

    (105 ILCS 5/34-18.51)
    Sec. 34-18.51. Committee on the retention of students.
    (a) The board may create a committee on the retention of students. The committee shall consist of the general superintendent of schools or his or her designee, a district administrator who directs student instruction and curriculum, a principal from a school of the district, and a teacher from a school of the district.
    (b) Prior to retention in a grade, a school may submit, by a date as set by the committee on the retention of students, the names of all students determined by the school to not qualify for promotion to the next higher grade and the reason for that determination. The committee shall review the school's decision to retain with respect to each student and shall make a final decision regarding whether or not to retain a particular student. The committee shall take into consideration the relevant data and evidence gathered during the Response to Intervention process. The committee may vote to overturn a retention decision if the committee determines that the student should be promoted after examining the student's access to remedial assistance, performance, attendance, and participation and the resources and facilities provided by the school district or due to the student having an undiagnosed learning disability.
(Source: P.A. 99-592, eff. 7-22-16; 100-201, eff. 8-18-17.)

105 ILCS 5/34-18.52

    (105 ILCS 5/34-18.52)
    Sec. 34-18.52. DCFS liaison.
    (a) The board must appoint at least one employee to act as a liaison to facilitate the enrollment and transfer of records of students in the legal custody of the Department of Children and Family Services when enrolling in or changing schools. The board may appoint any employee of the school district who is licensed under Article 21B of this Code to act as a liaison; however, employees who meet any of the following criteria must be prioritized for appointment:
        (1) Employees who have worked with mobile student
    
populations or students in foster care.
        (2) Employees who are familiar with enrollment,
    
record transfers, existing community services, and student support services.
        (3) Employees who serve as a high-level administrator.
        (4) Employees who are counselors or have experience
    
with student counseling.
        (5) Employees who are knowledgeable on child welfare
    
policies.
        (6) Employees who serve as a school social worker.
    (b) Liaisons under this Section are encouraged to build capacity and infrastructure within the school district to support students in the legal custody of the Department of Children and Family Services. Liaison responsibilities may include the following:
        (1) streamlining the enrollment processes for
    
students in foster care;
        (2) implementing student data tracking and monitoring
    
mechanisms;
        (3) ensuring that students in the legal custody of
    
the Department of Children and Family Services receive all school nutrition and meal programs available;
        (4) coordinating student withdrawal from a school,
    
record transfers, and credit recovery;
        (5) becoming experts on the foster care system and
    
State laws and policies in place that support children under the legal custody of the Department of Children and Family Services;
        (6) coordinating with child welfare partners;
        (7) providing foster care-related information and
    
training to the school district;
        (8) working with the Department of Children and
    
Family Services to help students maintain their school placement, if appropriate;
        (9) reviewing student schedules to ensure that
    
students are on track to graduate;
        (10) encouraging a successful transition into
    
adulthood and post-secondary opportunities;
        (11) encouraging involvement in extracurricular
    
activities; and
        (12) knowing what support is available within the
    
school district and community for students in the legal custody of the Department of Children and Family Services.
    (c) The school district is required to designate a liaison by the beginning of the 2022-2023 school year.
    (d) Individuals licensed under Article 21B of this Code acting as a liaison under this Section shall perform the duties of a liaison in addition to existing contractual obligations.
(Source: P.A. 102-199, eff. 7-1-22.)

105 ILCS 5/34-18.53

    (105 ILCS 5/34-18.53)
    Sec. 34-18.53. Breastfeeding accommodations for pupils.
    (a) Each public school shall provide reasonable accommodations to a lactating pupil on a school campus to express breast milk, breastfeed an infant child, or address other needs related to breastfeeding. Reasonable accommodations under this Section include, but are not limited to, all of the following:
        (1) Access to a private and secure room, other than a
    
restroom, to express breast milk or breastfeed an infant child.
        (2) Permission to bring onto a school campus a breast
    
pump and any other equipment used to express breast milk.
        (3) Access to a power source for a breast pump or any
    
other equipment used to express breast milk.
        (4) Access to a place to store expressed breast milk
    
safely.
    (b) A lactating pupil on a school campus must be provided a reasonable amount of time to accommodate her need to express breast milk or breastfeed an infant child.
    (c) A public school shall provide the reasonable accommodations specified in subsections (a) and (b) of this Section only if there is at least one lactating pupil on the school campus.
    (d) A public school may use an existing facility to meet the requirements specified in subsection (a) of this Section.
    (e) A pupil may not incur an academic penalty as a result of her use, during the school day, of the reasonable accommodations specified in this Section and must be provided the opportunity to make up any work missed due to such use.
    (f) In instances where a student files a complaint of noncompliance with the requirements of this Section, the public school shall implement the grievance procedure of 23 Ill. Adm. Code 200, including appeals procedures.
(Source: P.A. 100-29, eff. 1-1-18; 100-863, eff. 8-14-18.)

105 ILCS 5/34-18.54

    (105 ILCS 5/34-18.54)
    (Text of Section before amendment by P.A. 103-542)
    Sec. 34-18.54. Implicit bias training.
    (a) The General Assembly makes the following findings:
        (1) implicit racial bias influences evaluations of
    
and behavior toward those who are the subject of the bias;
        (2) understanding implicit racial bias is needed in
    
order to reduce that bias;
        (3) marginalized students would benefit from having
    
access to educators who have worked to reduce their biases; and
        (4) training that helps educators overcome implicit
    
racial bias has implication for classroom interactions, student evaluation, and classroom engagement; it also affects student academic self-concept.
    (b) The board shall require in-service training for school personnel to include training to develop cultural competency, including understanding and reducing implicit racial bias.
    (c) As used in this Section, "implicit racial bias" means a preference, positive or negative, for a racial or ethnic group that operates outside of awareness. This bias has 3 different components: affective, behavioral, and cognitive.
(Source: P.A. 100-14, eff. 7-1-17; 100-863, eff. 8-14-18.)
 
    (Text of Section after amendment by P.A. 103-542)
    Sec. 34-18.54. Implicit bias training.
    (a) The General Assembly makes the following findings:
        (1) implicit racial bias influences evaluations of
    
and behavior toward those who are the subject of the bias;
        (2) understanding implicit racial bias is needed in
    
order to reduce that bias;
        (3) marginalized students would benefit from having
    
access to educators who have worked to reduce their biases; and
        (4) training that helps educators overcome implicit
    
racial bias has implication for classroom interactions, student evaluation, and classroom engagement; it also affects student academic self-concept.
    (b) The board shall require in-service training for teachers, administrators, and school support personnel to include training to develop cultural competency, including understanding and reducing implicit racial bias as outlined in Sections 10-22.39 and 3-11.
    (c) As used in this Section, "implicit racial bias" means a preference, positive or negative, for a racial or ethnic group that operates outside of awareness. This bias has 3 different components: affective, behavioral, and cognitive.
(Source: P.A. 103-542, eff. 7-1-24 (see Section 905 of P.A. 103-563 for effective date of P.A. 103-542).)

105 ILCS 5/34-18.55

    (105 ILCS 5/34-18.55)
    Sec. 34-18.55. Dual enrollment and dual credit notification. The board shall require the district's high schools to inform all 11th and 12th grade students of dual enrollment and dual credit opportunities at public community colleges for qualified students.
(Source: P.A. 100-133, eff. 1-1-18; 100-863, eff. 8-14-18.)

105 ILCS 5/34-18.56

    (105 ILCS 5/34-18.56)
    Sec. 34-18.56. Availability of menstrual hygiene products.
    (a) The General Assembly finds the following:
        (1) Menstrual hygiene products are a health care
    
necessity and not an item that can be foregone or substituted easily.
        (2) Access to menstrual hygiene products is a serious
    
and ongoing need in this State.
        (3) When students do not have access to affordable
    
menstrual hygiene products, they may miss multiple days of school every month.
        (4) When students have access to quality menstrual
    
hygiene products, they are able to continue with their daily lives with minimal interruption.
    (b) In this Section:
    "Menstrual hygiene products" means tampons and sanitary napkins for use in connection with the menstrual cycle.
    "School building" means any facility (i) that is owned or leased by the school district or over which the board has care, custody, and control and (ii) in which there is a public school serving students in grades 6 through 12.
    (c) The school district shall make menstrual hygiene products available, at no cost to students, in bathrooms of every school building that are open for student use in grades 4 through 12 during the regular school day.
(Source: P.A. 102-340, eff. 8-13-21.)

105 ILCS 5/34-18.57

    (105 ILCS 5/34-18.57)
    Sec. 34-18.57. Booking stations on school grounds.
    (a) There shall be no student booking station established or maintained on the grounds of any school.
    (b) This prohibition shall be applied to student booking stations only, as defined in this Section. The prohibition does not prohibit or affect the establishment or maintenance of any place operated by or under the control of law enforcement personnel, school resource officers, or other security personnel that does not also qualify as a student booking station as defined in paragraph (2) of subsection (d) of this Section. The prohibition does not affect or limit the powers afforded law enforcement officers to perform their duties within schools as otherwise prescribed by law.
    (c) When the underlying suspected or alleged criminal act is an act of violence, and isolation of a student or students is deemed necessary to the interest of public safety, and no other location is adequate for secure isolation of the student or students, offices as described in paragraph (1) of subsection (d) of this Section may be employed to detain students for a period no longer than that required to alleviate that threat to public safety.
    (d) As used in this Section, "student booking station" means a building, office, room, or any indefinitely established space or site, mobile or fixed, which operates concurrently as:
        (1) predominantly or regularly a place of operation
    
for a municipal police department, county sheriff department, or other law enforcement agency, or under the primary control thereof; and
        (2) a site at which students are detained in
    
connection with criminal charges or allegations against those students, taken into custody, or engaged with law enforcement personnel in any process that creates a law enforcement record of that contact with law enforcement personnel or processes.
(Source: P.A. 100-204, eff. 8-18-17; 100-863, eff. 8-14-18.)