Public Act 102-0357
 
SB0654 EnrolledLRB102 12874 CMG 18217 b


  
    AN ACT concerning education.
  
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
 
represented in the General Assembly:
  



 
 
    Section 5. The School Code is amended  by adding Section 
27-6.3 as follows:
 
    (105 ILCS 5/27-6.3 new)
    Sec. 27-6.3. Play time required in elementary school.
    (a)  All public schools shall provide daily time for 
supervised, unstructured, child-directed play for all students 
in kindergarten through grade 5. Play time must allow 
unstructured play, and may include organized games, but shall 
not include the use of computers, tablets, phones, or videos. 
Schools are encouraged to provide play time outdoors, but it 
may be held indoors. If play time is held indoors, schools are 
encouraged to provide it in a space that promotes physical 
activity. Time spent dressing or undressing for outdoor play 
time shall not count towards the daily time for play.
    (b)   Play time shall not count as a course of physical 
education that fulfills the requirements of Section 27-6, nor 
shall time spent in a course of physical education count 
towards the daily time for play.
    (c)   Play time shall be considered clock hours for the 
purposes of Section 10-19.05. For any school day 5 clock hours 
or longer in length, the total time allotted for play for 
students in kindergarten through grade 5 must be at least 30 
minutes. For any school day less than 5 clock hours in length, 
the total time allotted for play each school day must be at 
least one-tenth of a day of attendance for the student 
pursuant to Section 10-19.05. Play time may be divided into 
play periods of at least 15 consecutive minutes in length.
    (d)   For students with disabilities, play time shall comply 
with a student's applicable individualized education program 
(IEP) or federal Section 504 plan.
    (e)   All public schools shall prohibit the withholding of 
play time as a disciplinary or punitive action, except when a 
student's participation in play time poses an immediate threat 
to the safety of the student or others. School officials shall 
make all reasonable efforts to resolve such threats and 
minimize the use of exclusion from play to the greatest extent 
practicable and in accordance with subsection (d).
 
 
    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1, 
2021.