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1 | AN ACT concerning education.
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2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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4 | Section 5. The School Code is amended by adding Section | ||||||
5 | 10-29 as follows: | ||||||
6 | (105 ILCS 5/10-29 new) | ||||||
7 | Sec. 10-29. Remote educational programs. | ||||||
8 | (a) For purposes of this Section, "remote educational | ||||||
9 | program" means an educational program delivered to students in | ||||||
10 | the home or other location outside of a school building that | ||||||
11 | meets all of the following criteria: | ||||||
12 | (1) A student may participate in the program only after | ||||||
13 | the school district, pursuant to adopted school board | ||||||
14 | policy, and a person authorized to enroll the student under | ||||||
15 | Section 10-20.12b of this Code determine that a remote | ||||||
16 | educational program will best serve the student's | ||||||
17 | individual learning needs. The adopted school board policy | ||||||
18 | shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following: | ||||||
19 | (A) Criteria for determining that a remote | ||||||
20 | educational program will best serve a student's | ||||||
21 | individual learning needs. The criteria must include | ||||||
22 | consideration of, at a minimum, a student's prior | ||||||
23 | attendance, disciplinary record, and academic history. |
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1 | (B) Any limitations on the number of students or | ||||||
2 | grade levels that may participate in a remote | ||||||
3 | educational program. | ||||||
4 | (C) A description of the process that the school | ||||||
5 | district will use to approve participation in the | ||||||
6 | remote educational program. The process must include | ||||||
7 | without limitation a requirement that, for any student | ||||||
8 | who qualifies to receive services pursuant to the | ||||||
9 | federal Individuals with Disabilities Education | ||||||
10 | Improvement Act of 2004, the student's participation | ||||||
11 | in a remote educational program receive prior approval | ||||||
12 | from the student's individualized education program | ||||||
13 | team. | ||||||
14 | (D) A description of the process the school | ||||||
15 | district will use to develop and approve a written | ||||||
16 | remote educational plan that meets the requirements of | ||||||
17 | subdivision (5) of this subsection (a). | ||||||
18 | (E) A description of the system the school district | ||||||
19 | will establish to calculate the number of clock hours a | ||||||
20 | student is participating in instruction in accordance | ||||||
21 | with the remote educational program. | ||||||
22 | (F) A description of the process for renewing a | ||||||
23 | remote educational program at the expiration of its | ||||||
24 | term. | ||||||
25 | (G) Such other terms and provisions as the school | ||||||
26 | district deems necessary to provide for the |
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1 | establishment and delivery of a remote educational | ||||||
2 | program. | ||||||
3 | (2) The school district has determined that the remote | ||||||
4 | educational program's curriculum is aligned to State | ||||||
5 | learning standards and that the program offers instruction | ||||||
6 | and educational experiences consistent with those given to | ||||||
7 | students at the same grade level in the district. | ||||||
8 | (3) The remote educational program is delivered by | ||||||
9 | instructors that meet the following qualifications: | ||||||
10 | (A) they are certificated under Article 21 of this | ||||||
11 | Code; | ||||||
12 | (B) they meet applicable highly qualified criteria | ||||||
13 | under the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001; and | ||||||
14 | (C) they have responsibility for all of the | ||||||
15 | following elements of the program: planning | ||||||
16 | instruction, diagnosing learning needs, prescribing | ||||||
17 | content delivery through class activities, assessing | ||||||
18 | learning, reporting outcomes to administrators and | ||||||
19 | parents and guardians, and evaluating the effects of | ||||||
20 | instruction. | ||||||
21 | (4) During the period of the calendar year included | ||||||
22 | within the regular school term of the school district, | ||||||
23 | participation in a remote educational program may be | ||||||
24 | claimed for general State aid purposes under Section | ||||||
25 | 18-8.05 of this Code only on days of pupil attendance or | ||||||
26 | institute days included within the school district's |
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1 | calendar established pursuant to Section 10-19 of this | ||||||
2 | Code. Outside of the regular school term of the district, | ||||||
3 | the remote educational program may be offered as part of | ||||||
4 | any summer school program authorized by this Code. | ||||||
5 | (5) Each student participating in a remote educational | ||||||
6 | program must have a written remote educational plan that | ||||||
7 | has been approved by the school district and a person | ||||||
8 | authorized to enroll the student under Section 10-20.12b of | ||||||
9 | this Code. The school district and a person authorized to | ||||||
10 | enroll the student under Section 10-20.12b of this Code | ||||||
11 | must approve any amendment to a remote educational plan. | ||||||
12 | The remote educational plan must include, but is not | ||||||
13 | limited to, all of the following: | ||||||
14 | (A) Specific achievement goals for the student | ||||||
15 | aligned to State learning standards. | ||||||
16 | (B) A description of all assessments that will be | ||||||
17 | used to measure student progress, which description | ||||||
18 | shall indicate the assessments that will be | ||||||
19 | administered at an attendance center within the school | ||||||
20 | district. | ||||||
21 | (C) A description of the progress reports that will | ||||||
22 | be provided to the school district and the person or | ||||||
23 | persons authorized to enroll the student under Section | ||||||
24 | 10-20.12b of this Code. | ||||||
25 | (D) Expectations, processes, and schedules for | ||||||
26 | interaction between a teacher and student. |
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1 | (E) A description of the specific responsibilities | ||||||
2 | of the student's family and the school district with | ||||||
3 | respect to equipment, materials, phone and Internet | ||||||
4 | service, and any other requirements applicable to the | ||||||
5 | home or other location outside of a school building | ||||||
6 | necessary for the delivery of the remote educational | ||||||
7 | program. | ||||||
8 | (F) If applicable, a description of how the remote | ||||||
9 | educational program will be delivered in a manner | ||||||
10 | consistent with the student's individualized education | ||||||
11 | program required by Section 614(d) of the federal | ||||||
12 | Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement | ||||||
13 | Act of 2004 or plan to ensure compliance with Section | ||||||
14 | 504 of the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973. | ||||||
15 | (G) A description of the procedures and | ||||||
16 | opportunities for participation in academic and | ||||||
17 | extra-curricular activities and programs within the | ||||||
18 | school district. | ||||||
19 | (H) The identification of a parent, guardian, or | ||||||
20 | other responsible adult who will provide direct | ||||||
21 | supervision of the program. The plan must include an | ||||||
22 | acknowledgment by the parent, guardian, or other | ||||||
23 | responsible adult that he or she may engage only in | ||||||
24 | non-teaching duties not requiring instructional | ||||||
25 | judgment or the evaluation of a student. The plan shall | ||||||
26 | designate the parent, guardian, or other responsible |
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1 | adult as non-teaching personnel or volunteer personnel | ||||||
2 | under subsection (a) of Section 10-22.34 of this Code. | ||||||
3 | (I) The identification of a school district | ||||||
4 | administrator who will oversee the remote educational | ||||||
5 | program on behalf of the school district and who may be | ||||||
6 | contacted by the student's parents with respect to any | ||||||
7 | issues or concerns with the program. | ||||||
8 | (J) The term of the student's participation in the | ||||||
9 | remote educational program, which may not extend for | ||||||
10 | longer than 12 months, unless the term is renewed by | ||||||
11 | the district in accordance with subdivision (7) of this | ||||||
12 | subsection (a). | ||||||
13 | (K) A description of the specific location or | ||||||
14 | locations in which the program will be delivered. If | ||||||
15 | the remote educational program is to be delivered to a | ||||||
16 | student in any location other than the student's home, | ||||||
17 | the plan must include a written determination by the | ||||||
18 | school district that the location will provide a | ||||||
19 | learning environment appropriate for the delivery of | ||||||
20 | the program. The location or locations in which the | ||||||
21 | program will be delivered shall be deemed a long | ||||||
22 | distance teaching reception area under subsection (a) | ||||||
23 | of Section 10-22.34 of this Code. | ||||||
24 | (L) Certification by the school district that the | ||||||
25 | plan meets all other requirements of this Section. | ||||||
26 | (6) Students participating in a remote educational |
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1 | program must be enrolled in a school district attendance | ||||||
2 | center pursuant to the school district's enrollment policy | ||||||
3 | or policies. A student participating in a remote | ||||||
4 | educational program must be tested as part of all | ||||||
5 | assessments administered by the school district pursuant | ||||||
6 | to Section 2-3.64 of this Code at the attendance center in | ||||||
7 | which the student is enrolled and in accordance with the | ||||||
8 | attendance center's assessment policies and schedule. The | ||||||
9 | student must be included within all adequate yearly | ||||||
10 | progress and other accountability determinations for the | ||||||
11 | school district and attendance center under State and | ||||||
12 | federal law. | ||||||
13 | (7) The term of a student's participation in a remote | ||||||
14 | educational program may not extend for longer than 12 | ||||||
15 | months, unless the term is renewed by the school district. | ||||||
16 | The district may only renew a student's participation in a | ||||||
17 | remote educational program following an evaluation of the | ||||||
18 | student's progress in the program, a determination that the | ||||||
19 | student's continuation in the program will best serve the | ||||||
20 | student's individual learning needs, and an amendment to | ||||||
21 | the student's written remote educational plan addressing | ||||||
22 | any changes for the upcoming term of the program. | ||||||
23 | (b) A school district may, by resolution of its school | ||||||
24 | board, establish a remote educational program. | ||||||
25 | (c) Days of attendance by students in a remote educational | ||||||
26 | program meeting the requirements of this Section may be claimed |
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1 | by the school district and shall be counted as school work for | ||||||
2 | general State aid purposes in accordance with and subject to | ||||||
3 | the limitations of Section 18-8.05 of this Code. | ||||||
4 | (d) The impact of remote educational programs on wages, | ||||||
5 | hours, and terms and conditions of employment of educational | ||||||
6 | employees within the school district shall be subject to local | ||||||
7 | collective bargaining agreements. | ||||||
8 | (e) The use of a home or other location outside of a school | ||||||
9 | building for a remote educational program shall not cause the | ||||||
10 | home or other location to be deemed a public school facility. | ||||||
11 | (f) A remote educational program may be used, but is not | ||||||
12 | required, for instruction delivered to a student in the home or | ||||||
13 | other location outside of a school building that is not claimed | ||||||
14 | for general State aid purposes under Section 18-8.05 of this | ||||||
15 | Code. | ||||||
16 | (g) School districts that, pursuant to this Section, adopt | ||||||
17 | a policy for a remote educational program must submit to the | ||||||
18 | State Board of Education a copy of the policy and any | ||||||
19 | amendments thereto, as well as data on student participation in | ||||||
20 | a format specified by the State Board of Education. The State | ||||||
21 | Board of Education may perform or contract with an outside | ||||||
22 | entity to perform an evaluation of remote educational programs | ||||||
23 | in this State. | ||||||
24 | (h) The State Board of Education may adopt any rules | ||||||
25 | necessary to ensure compliance by remote educational programs | ||||||
26 | with the requirements of this Section and other applicable |
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1 | legal requirements.
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2 | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | ||||||
3 | becoming law.
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