Public Act 103-0265
 
SB2391 EnrolledLRB103 27206 RJT 53576 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 changing Section 
2-3.152 as follows:
 
    (105 ILCS 5/2-3.152)
    Sec. 2-3.152. Community schools.
    (a) This Section applies beginning with the 2024-2025 
2009-2010 school year. 
    (b) The General Assembly finds all of the following: 
        (1) All children are capable of success.
        (2) Schools are the centers of vibrant communities.
        (3) Strong families build strong educational 
    communities.
        (4) Children succeed when adults work together to 
    foster positive educational outcomes.
        (5) Schools work best when families take active roles 
    in the education of children.
        (6) Schools today are limited in their ability to 
    dedicate time and resources to provide a wide range of 
    educational opportunities to students because of the focus 
    on standardized test outcomes.
        (7) By providing learning opportunities outside of 
    normal school hours, including programs on life skills and 
    health, students are more successful academically, more 
    engaged in their communities, safer, and better prepared 
    to make a successful transition from school to adulthood.
        (8) A community school is a public school  or nonpublic 
    school that establishes a set of strategic partnerships 
    between the school and other community resources that 
    promote student achievement, positive learning conditions, 
    and the well-being of students by providing wraparound 
    services and traditional school that actively partners 
    with its community to leverage existing resources and 
    identify new resources to support the transformation of 
    the school to provide enrichment and additional life skill 
    opportunities for students, parents, and community members 
    at-large.  Each community school is unique because its 
    programming is designed by and for the school staff, in 
    partnership with parents, community stakeholders, and 
    students.
        (9) Community schools currently exist in this State in 
    urban, rural, and suburban communities.
        (10) Research shows that community schools have a 
    powerful positive impact on students, as demonstrated by 
    increased academic success, a positive change in attitudes 
    toward school and learning, and decreased behavioral 
    problems.
        (11) After-school and evening programs offered by 
    community schools provide academic enrichment consistent 
    with the Illinois Learning Standards and general school 
    curriculum; an opportunity for physical fitness activities 
    for students, fine arts programs, structured learning 
    "play" time, and other recreational opportunities; a safe 
    haven for students; and work supports for working 
    families.
        (12) Community schools are cost-effective because they 
    leverage existing resources provided by local, State, 
    federal, and private sources and bring programs to the 
    schools, where the students are already congregated.  
    Community schools have been shown to leverage between $5 
    to $8 in existing programming for every $1 spent on a 
    community school. 
    (c) Subject to an appropriation or the availability of 
State or federal funding for such purposes, the State Board of 
Education shall make grants available to fund community 
schools and to enhance programs at community schools.  A 
request-for-proposal process must be used in awarding grants 
under this subsection (c).  Proposals may be submitted on 
behalf of a school, a school district, or a consortium of 2 or 
more schools or school districts.  Proposals must be evaluated 
and scored on the basis of criteria consistent with this 
Section and other factors developed and adopted by the State 
Board of Education.  Technical assistance in grant writing must 
be made available to schools, school districts, or consortia 
of school districts through the State Board of Education 
directly or through a resource and referral directory 
established and  maintained by the State Board of Education. 
    (d) As used in this subsection (d), "trauma-informed 
intervention" means a method for understanding and responding 
to an individual with symptoms of chronic interpersonal trauma 
or traumatic stress.
    In order to qualify for a community school grant under 
this Section, a school may must, at a minimum, provide the 
following have the following components: 
        (1) Before and after-school programming each school 
    day to meet the identified needs of students.
        (2) Weekend programming.
        (3) Summer At least 4 weeks of summer programming.
        (4) A local advisory group comprised of school 
    leadership, parents, and community stakeholders that 
    establishes school-specific programming goals, assesses 
    program needs, and oversees the process of implementing 
    expanded programming.
        (5) A program director, or resource coordinator, or 
    community school coordinator who is responsible for 
    establishing a local advisory group, assessing the needs 
    of students and community members, identifying programs to 
    meet those needs, developing the before and after-school, 
    weekend, and summer programming and overseeing the 
    implementation of programming to ensure high quality, 
    efficiency, and robust participation.
        (6) Programming that includes academic excellence 
    aligned with the Illinois Learning Standards, life skills, 
    healthy minds and bodies, parental support, 
    trauma-informed intervention, and community engagement and 
    that promotes staying in school and non-violent behavior 
    and non-violent conflict resolution.
        (7) Maintenance of attendance records in all 
    programming components.
        (8) Maintenance of measurable data showing annual 
    participation and the impact of programming on the 
    participating children and adults.
        (9) Documentation of true collaboration between the 
    school and community stakeholders, including local 
    governmental units, civic organizations, families, 
    businesses, and social service providers.
        (10) A non-discrimination policy ensuring that the 
    community school does not condition participation upon 
    race, ethnic origin, religion, sex, or disability.
        (11) Wraparound services, including:
            (A) safe transportation to school;
            (B) vision and dental care services;
            (C) established or expanded school-based health 
        center services;
            (D) additional social workers, mentors, 
        counselors, psychologists, and restorative practice 
        coaches and enhancing physical wellness, including 
        providing healthy food for in-school and out-of-school 
        time and linkages to community providers;
            (E) enhanced behavioral health services, including 
        access to mental health practitioners and providing 
        professional development to school staff to provide 
        trauma-informed interventions;
            (F) family and community engagement and support, 
        including informing parents of academic course 
        offerings, language classes, workforce development 
        training, opportunities for children, and available 
        social services, as well as educating families on how 
        to monitor a child's learning;
            (G) student enrichment experiences; and
            (H) professional development for teachers and 
        school staff to quickly identify students who are in 
        need of these resources.

(Source: P.A. 96-746, eff. 8-25-09; 96-1000, eff. 7-2-10.)
 
 
    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect June 1, 
2024.