SB3036 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB104 18421 LNS 31863 b

104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026
SB3036

Introduced 1/28/2026, by Sen. Laura Ellman

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

105 ILCS 5/2-3.208
105 ILCS 5/26-1	from Ch. 122, par. 26-1

Amends the School Code. Provides that the statement included in the State Board of Education's list of the identified days and dates of cultural, religious, or other observances shall also encourage schools to avoid, if possible, scheduling significant academic deadlines or major school events on the identified days and dates of cultural, religious, or other observances. Provides that upon the posting and distribution of the list, a district superintendent shall distribute information to all faculty and staff about upcoming days and dates of cultural, religious, or other observances. Requires these days and dates to also be acknowledged and posted on official school or administrative calendars. With respect to a child being excused from attending school because of religious reasons, provides that if the exact date of the absence cannot be determined more than 5 days in advance due to the use of a lunar or other nonfixed calendar, notice of the child's absence shall be given as soon as reasonably possible. Provides that any child excused from attending school because of religious reasons shall be granted reasonable academic accommodations without penalty. Requires a district superintendent's procedures regarding a student's absence for religious reasons to include guidance on adjustments to academic schedules, assignments, or major school events.

STATE MANDATES ACT MAY REQUIRE REIMBURSEMENT MAY APPLY

A BILL FOR

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 renumbering and changing Section 2-3.206 and by changing Section 26-1 as follows:

(105 ILCS 5/2-3.208)

Sec. 2-3.208 2-3.206. Scheduling guidance for major school events.

(a) As used in this Section, "major school event" means a school sanctioned or sponsored event that is part of a school or school district's locally created school calendar for the year, including, but not limited to, events or activities that would be difficult for a student to make up.

(b) The State Board of Education, in consultation with stakeholders, shall identify dates during the year of cultural or religious significance to the student population and in which students may have out-of-school commitments or otherwise be unable to participate in a major school event.

By July 1 of each year, the State Board of Education shall prominently post on its website and distribute to each school district a nonexhaustive list of the identified days and dates of cultural, religious, or other observances for, at a minimum, the school year that begins in the next calendar year as a resource for making scheduling decisions for major school events. The list shall include a statement encouraging schools to be mindful of the days and dates of cultural, religious, or other observances that impact student participation as schools plan major school events. The statement shall also encourage schools to avoid, if possible, scheduling significant academic deadlines or major school events on the identified days and dates of cultural, religious, or other observances.

(c) The list of cultural, religious, or other observances under subsection (b) shall additionally include a statement indicating that the list is only for scheduling guidance purposes and does not affect a student's right to be excused from attendance because of the observance of a religious holiday pursuant to Section 26-2b of this Code, regardless of whether the religious holiday appears on the list.

Upon the posting and distribution of the list, the State Board of Education shall also inform school districts that the list is nonexhaustive and that a school district may include additional days and dates on its locally created school calendars based on community feedback or demographics.

The State Board of Education shall additionally distribute the list each year to relevant associations or entities as determined by the State Board of Education.

(d) Upon the posting and distribution of the list under subsection (b), a district superintendent shall distribute information to all faculty and staff about upcoming days and dates of cultural, religious, or other observances. These days and dates shall also be acknowledged and posted on official school or administrative calendars.

(Source: P.A. 104-115, eff. 8-1-25; revised 10-10-25.)

(105 ILCS 5/26-1) (from Ch. 122, par. 26-1)

Sec. 26-1. Compulsory school age; exemptions. Whoever has custody or control of any child (i) between the ages of 7 and 17 years (unless the child has already graduated from high school) for school years before the 2014-2015 school year or (ii) between the ages of 6 (on or before September 1) and 17 years (unless the child has already graduated from high school) beginning with the 2014-2015 school year shall cause such child to attend some public school in the district wherein the child resides the entire time it is in session during the regular school term, except as provided in Section 10-19.1, and during a required summer school program established under Section 10-22.33B; provided, that the following children shall not be required to attend the public schools:

1. Any child attending a private or a parochial school where children are taught the branches of education taught to children of corresponding age and grade in the public schools, and where the instruction of the child in the branches of education is in the English language;

2. Any child who is physically or mentally unable to attend school, such disability being certified to the county or district truant officer by a competent physician licensed in Illinois to practice medicine and surgery in all its branches, a chiropractic physician licensed under the Medical Practice Act of 1987, a licensed advanced practice registered nurse, a licensed physician assistant, or a Christian Science practitioner residing in this State and listed in the Christian Science Journal; or who is excused for temporary absence for cause by the principal or teacher of the school which the child attends, with absence for cause by illness being required to include the mental or behavioral health of the child for up to 5 days for which the child need not provide a medical note, in which case the child shall be given the opportunity to make up any school work missed during the mental or behavioral health absence and, after the second mental health day used, may be referred to the appropriate school support personnel; the exemptions in this paragraph (2) do not apply to any female who is pregnant or the mother of one or more children, except where a female is unable to attend school due to a complication arising from her pregnancy and the existence of such complication is certified to the county or district truant officer by a competent physician;

3. Any child necessarily and lawfully employed according to the provisions of the Child Labor Law of 2024 may be excused from attendance at school by the county superintendent of schools or the superintendent of the public school which the child should be attending, on certification of the facts by and the recommendation of the school board of the public school district in which the child resides. In districts having part-time continuation schools, children so excused shall attend such schools at least 8 hours each week;

4. Any child over 12 and under 14 years of age while in attendance at confirmation classes;

5. Any child absent from a public school on a particular day or days or at a particular time of day for the reason that he is unable to attend classes or to participate in any examination, study, or work requirements on a particular day or days or at a particular time of day because of religious reasons, including the observance of a religious holiday or participation in religious instruction, or because the tenets of his religion forbid secular activity on a particular day or days or at a particular time of day. A school board may require the parent or guardian of a child who is to be excused from attending school because of religious reasons to give notice, not exceeding 5 days, of the child's absence to the school principal or other school personnel, except that if the exact date of the absence cannot be determined more than 5 days in advance due to the use of a lunar or other nonfixed calendar, notice shall be given as soon as reasonably possible. Any child excused from attending school under this paragraph 5 shall not be required to submit a written excuse for such absence after returning to school. Any child excused from attending school under this paragraph 5 shall be granted reasonable academic accommodations without penalty. A district superintendent shall develop and distribute to schools appropriate procedures regarding a student's absence for religious reasons, including, but not limited to, guidance on adjustments to academic schedules, assignments, or major school events, how schools are notified of a student's impending absence for religious reasons, and the requirements of Section 26-2b of this Code;

6. Any child 16 years of age or older who (i) submits to a school district evidence of necessary and lawful employment pursuant to paragraph 3 of this Section and (ii) is enrolled in a graduation incentives program pursuant to Section 26-16 of this Code or an alternative learning opportunities program established pursuant to Article 13B of this Code;

7. A child in any of grades 6 through 12 absent from a public school on a particular day or days or at a particular time of day for the purpose of sounding "Taps" at a military honors funeral held in this State for a deceased veteran. In order to be excused under this paragraph 7, the student shall notify the school's administration at least 2 days prior to the date of the absence and shall provide the school's administration with the date, time, and location of the military honors funeral. The school's administration may waive this 2-day notification requirement if the student did not receive at least 2 days advance notice, but the student shall notify the school's administration as soon as possible of the absence. A student whose absence is excused under this paragraph 7 shall be counted as if the student attended school for purposes of calculating the average daily attendance of students in the school district. A student whose absence is excused under this paragraph 7 must be allowed a reasonable time to make up school work missed during the absence. If the student satisfactorily completes the school work, the day of absence shall be counted as a day of compulsory attendance and he or she may not be penalized for that absence; and

8. Any child absent from a public school on a particular day or days or at a particular time of day for the reason that his or her parent or legal guardian is an active duty member of the uniformed services and has been called to duty for, is on leave from, or has immediately returned from deployment to a combat zone or combat-support postings. Such a student shall be granted 5 days of excused absences in any school year and, at the discretion of the school board, additional excused absences to visit the student's parent or legal guardian relative to such leave or deployment of the parent or legal guardian. In the case of excused absences pursuant to this paragraph 8, the student and parent or legal guardian shall be responsible for obtaining assignments from the student's teacher prior to any period of excused absence and for ensuring that such assignments are completed by the student prior to his or her return to school from such period of excused absence.

Any child from a public middle school or high school, subject to guidelines established by the State Board of Education, shall be permitted by a school board one school day-long excused absence per school year for the child who is absent from school to engage in a civic event. The school board may require that the student provide reasonable advance notice of the intended absence to the appropriate school administrator and require that the student provide documentation of participation in a civic event to the appropriate school administrator.

(Source: P.A. 102-266, eff. 1-1-22; 102-321, eff. 1-1-22; 102-406, eff. 8-19-21; 102-813, eff. 5-13-22; 102-981, eff. 1-1-23; 103-721, eff. 1-1-25.)