Public Act 096-0864
 		





HB0806 Enrolled
LRB096 07449 NHT 17541 b






    AN ACT concerning education.

 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
 
represented in the General Assembly:



 
    Section 3. The Department of Human Services Act is amended  
by adding Section 10-65 as follows:
 
    (20 ILCS 1305/10-65  new)
    Sec. 10-65. Gateways to Opportunity.
    (a) Subject to the availability of funds, the Department of 
Human Services shall operate a Gateways to Opportunity program, 
a comprehensive professional development system. The goal of 
Gateways to Opportunity is to support a diverse, stable, and 
quality workforce for settings serving children and youth, 
specifically to:
        (1) enhance the quality of services;
        (2) increase positive outcomes for children and youth; 
    and
        (3) advance the availability of coursework and 
    training related to quality services for children and 
    youth.
    (b) The Department shall award Gateways to Opportunity 
credentials to early care and education, school-age, and youth 
development practitioners. The credentials shall validate an 
individual's qualifications and shall be issued based on a 
variety of professional achievements in field experience, 
knowledge and skills, educational attainment, and training 
accomplishments. The Department shall adopt rules outlining 
the framework for awarding credentials.
    (c) The Gateways to Opportunity program shall identify 
professional knowledge guidelines for practitioners serving 
children and youth. The professional knowledge guidelines 
shall define what all adults who work with children and youth 
need to know, understand, and be able to demonstrate to support 
children's and youth's development, school readiness, and 
school success. The Department shall adopt rules to identify 
content areas, alignment with other professional standards, 
and competency levels. 

 
    Section 5. The School Code is amended  by changing Sections 
10-20.12 and 34-19 as follows:
 



    (105 ILCS 5/10-20.12)  (from Ch. 122, par. 10-20.12)



    Sec. 10-20.12. School year - School age. To establish and 
keep in
operation in each year during a school term of at least 
the minimum length
required by Section 10-19, a sufficient 
number of free schools for the
accommodation of all persons in 
the district who are 5 years of age or
older but under 21 years 
of age, and to secure for all such persons the
right and 
opportunity to an equal education in such schools; provided 
that (i)
children who will attain the age of 5 years on or 
before September 1 of the
year of the 1990-1991 school term and 
each school term thereafter may
attend school upon the 
commencement of such term and (ii) based upon an assessment of 
the child's readiness, children who have attended a non-public 
preschool and continued their education at that school through 
kindergarten, were taught in kindergarten by an appropriately 
certified teacher, and  will attain the age of 6 years on or 
before December 31 of the year of the 2009-2010 school term and 
each school term thereafter may attend first grade upon 
commencement of such term.  Based upon an assessment
of a 
child's readiness to attend school, a school district may 
permit a
child to attend school prior to the dates contained in 
this Section. In any
school district operating on a full year 
school basis children who will
attain age 5 within 30 days 
after the commencement of a term may attend
school upon the 
commencement of such term and, based upon an assessment of the 
child's readiness, children who have attended a non-public 
preschool and continued their education at that school through 
kindergarten, were taught in kindergarten by an appropriately 
certified teacher, and will attain age 6 within 4 months after 
the commencement of a term may attend first grade upon the 
commencement of such term.  The school district may, by

resolution of its board, allow for a full year school plan.

(Source: P.A. 87-359.)

 



    (105 ILCS 5/34-19)  (from Ch. 122, par. 34-19)


    Sec. 34-19. By-laws, rules and regulations; business 
transacted at
regular meetings; voting; records. The board 
shall, subject to the limitations
in this Article, establish 
by-laws, rules and regulations, which shall have the
force of 
ordinances, for the proper maintenance of a uniform system of

discipline for both employees and pupils, and for the entire 
management of the
schools, and may fix the school age of 
pupils, the minimum of which in
kindergartens shall not be 
under 4 years, except that, based upon an assessment of the 
child's readiness, children who have attended a non-public 
preschool and continued their education at that school through 
kindergarten, were taught in kindergarten by an appropriately 
certified teacher, and  will attain the age of 6 years on or 
before December 31 of the year of the 2009-2010 school term and 
each school term thereafter may attend first grade upon 
commencement of such term, and in grade schools shall not be

under 6 years. It may expel, suspend or, subject to the 
limitations of all
policies established or adopted under 
Section 14-8.05, otherwise discipline any
pupil found guilty of 
gross disobedience, misconduct or other violation of the

by-laws, rules and regulations. The bylaws, rules and 
regulations of the board
shall be enacted, money shall be 
appropriated or expended, salaries shall be
fixed or changed, 
and textbooks and courses of instruction shall be adopted or

changed only at the regular meetings of the board and by a vote 
of a
majority of the full membership of the board; provided 
that
notwithstanding any other provision of this Article or the 
School Code,
neither the board or any local school council may 
purchase any textbook for use in any public school of the

district from any textbook publisher that fails to furnish any 
computer
diskettes as required under Section 28-21. The board 
shall be further
encouraged to provide opportunities for public 
hearing and testimony before
the adoption of bylaws, rules and 
regulations. Upon all propositions
requiring for their 
adoption at least a majority of all the members of the
board 
the yeas and nays shall be taken and reported. The by-laws, 
rules and
regulations of the board shall not be repealed, 
amended or added to, except
by a vote of 2/3 of the full 
membership of the board. The board shall keep
a record of all 
its proceedings.  Such records and all
by-laws, rules and 
regulations, or parts thereof, may be proved by a copy
thereof 
certified to be such by the secretary of the board, but if they 
are
printed in book or pamphlet form which are purported to be 
published by
authority of the board they need not be otherwise 
published and the book or
pamphlet shall be received as 
evidence, without further proof, of the
records, by-laws, rules 
and regulations, or any part thereof, as of the
dates thereof 
as shown in such book or pamphlet, in all courts and places

where judicial proceedings are had.

    Notwithstanding any other provision in this Article or in 
the School
Code, the board may delegate to the general 
superintendent or to the
attorney the authorities granted to 
the board in the School Code, provided
such delegation and 
appropriate oversight procedures are made pursuant to
board 
by-laws, rules and regulations, adopted as herein provided, 
except that
the board may not delegate its authorities and 
responsibilities regarding (1)
budget approval obligations; 
(2) rule-making functions; (3) desegregation
obligations; (4) 
real estate acquisition, sale or lease in excess of 10 years
as 
provided in Section 34-21; (5) the levy of taxes; or (6) any 
mandates
imposed upon the board by "An Act in relation to 
school reform in cities over
500,000, amending Acts herein 
named", approved December 12, 1988 (P.A.
85-1418).

(Source: P.A. 88-45; 89-15, eff. 5-30-95.)


 
    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1, 
2009.