HB2087 EngrossedLRB101 07258 AXK 52297 b

1    AN ACT concerning education.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Sections
527-24.1 and 27-24.2 as follows:
 
6    (105 ILCS 5/27-24.1)  (from Ch. 122, par. 27-24.1)
7    Sec. 27-24.1. Definitions. As used in the Driver Education
8Act unless the context otherwise requires:
9    "State Board" means the State Board of Education;
10    "Driver education course" and "course" means a course of
11instruction in the use and operation of cars, including
12instruction in the safe operation of cars and rules of the road
13and the laws of this State relating to motor vehicles, which
14meets the minimum requirements of this Act and the rules and
15regulations issued thereunder by the State Board and has been
16approved by the State Board as meeting such requirements;
17    "Car" means a motor vehicle of the first Division as
18defined in The Illinois Vehicle Code;
19    "Motorcycle" or "motor driven cycle" means such a vehicle
20as defined in The Illinois Vehicle Code;
21    "Driver's license" means any license or permit issued by
22the Secretary of State under Chapter 6 of The Illinois Vehicle
23Code.

 

 

HB2087 Engrossed- 2 -LRB101 07258 AXK 52297 b

1    "Distance learning program" means a program of study in
2which all participating teachers and students do not physically
3meet in the classroom and instead use the Internet, email, or
4any other method other than the classroom to provide
5instruction.
6    With reference to persons, the singular number includes the
7plural and vice versa, and the masculine gender includes the
8feminine.
9(Source: P.A. 81-1508.)
 
10    (105 ILCS 5/27-24.2)  (from Ch. 122, par. 27-24.2)
11    Sec. 27-24.2. Safety education; driver education course.
12Instruction shall be given in safety education in each of
13grades one through 8, equivalent to one class period each week,
14and any school district which maintains grades 9 through 12
15shall offer a driver education course in any such school which
16it operates. Its curriculum shall include content dealing with
17Chapters 11, 12, 13, 15, and 16 of the Illinois Vehicle Code,
18the rules adopted pursuant to those Chapters insofar as they
19pertain to the operation of motor vehicles, and the portions of
20the Litter Control Act relating to the operation of motor
21vehicles. The course of instruction given in grades 10 through
2212 shall include an emphasis on the development of knowledge,
23attitudes, habits, and skills necessary for the safe operation
24of motor vehicles, including motorcycles insofar as they can be
25taught in the classroom, and instruction on distracted driving

 

 

HB2087 Engrossed- 3 -LRB101 07258 AXK 52297 b

1as a major traffic safety issue. In addition, the course shall
2include instruction on special hazards existing at and required
3safety and driving precautions that must be observed at
4emergency situations, highway construction and maintenance
5zones, and railroad crossings and the approaches thereto.
6Beginning with the 2017-2018 school year, the course shall also
7include instruction concerning law enforcement procedures for
8traffic stops, including a demonstration of the proper actions
9to be taken during a traffic stop and appropriate interactions
10with law enforcement. The course of instruction required of
11each eligible student at the high school level shall consist of
12a minimum of 30 clock hours of classroom instruction and a
13minimum of 6 clock hours of individual behind-the-wheel
14instruction in a dual control car on public roadways taught by
15a driver education instructor endorsed by the State Board of
16Education. A school district's decision to allow a student to
17take a portion of the driver education course through a
18distance learning program must be determined on a case-by-case
19basis and must be approved by the school's administration,
20including the student's driver education teacher, and the
21student's parent or guardian. Under no circumstances may the
22student take the entire driver education course through a
23distance learning program. Both the classroom instruction part
24and the practice driving part of a such driver education course
25shall be open to a resident or non-resident student attending a
26non-public school in the district wherein the course is

 

 

HB2087 Engrossed- 4 -LRB101 07258 AXK 52297 b

1offered. Each student attending any public or non-public high
2school in the district must receive a passing grade in at least
38 courses during the previous 2 semesters prior to enrolling in
4a driver education course, or the student shall not be
5permitted to enroll in the course; provided that the local
6superintendent of schools (with respect to a student attending
7a public high school in the district) or chief school
8administrator (with respect to a student attending a non-public
9high school in the district) may waive the requirement if the
10superintendent or chief school administrator, as the case may
11be, deems it to be in the best interest of the student. A
12student may be allowed to commence the classroom instruction
13part of such driver education course prior to reaching age 15
14if such student then will be eligible to complete the entire
15course within 12 months after being allowed to commence such
16classroom instruction.
17    A school district may offer a driver education course in a
18school by contracting with a commercial driver training school
19to provide both the classroom instruction part and the practice
20driving part or either one without having to request a
21modification or waiver of administrative rules of the State
22Board of Education if the school district approves the action
23during a public hearing on whether to enter into a contract
24with a commercial driver training school. The public hearing
25shall be held at a regular or special school board meeting
26prior to entering into such a contract. If a school district

 

 

HB2087 Engrossed- 5 -LRB101 07258 AXK 52297 b

1chooses to approve a contract with a commercial driver training
2school, then the district must provide evidence to the State
3Board of Education that the commercial driver training school
4with which it will contract holds a license issued by the
5Secretary of State under Article IV of Chapter 6 of the
6Illinois Vehicle Code and that each instructor employed by the
7commercial driver training school to provide instruction to
8students served by the school district holds a valid teaching
9license issued under the requirements of this Code and rules of
10the State Board of Education. Such evidence must include, but
11need not be limited to, a list of each instructor assigned to
12teach students served by the school district, which list shall
13include the instructor's name, personal identification number
14as required by the State Board of Education, birth date, and
15driver's license number. Once the contract is entered into, the
16school district shall notify the State Board of Education of
17any changes in the personnel providing instruction either (i)
18within 15 calendar days after an instructor leaves the program
19or (ii) before a new instructor is hired. Such notification
20shall include the instructor's name, personal identification
21number as required by the State Board of Education, birth date,
22and driver's license number. If the school district maintains
23an Internet website, then the district shall post a copy of the
24final contract between the district and the commercial driver
25training school on the district's Internet website. If no
26Internet website exists, then the school district shall make

 

 

HB2087 Engrossed- 6 -LRB101 07258 AXK 52297 b

1available the contract upon request. A record of all materials
2in relation to the contract must be maintained by the school
3district and made available to parents and guardians upon
4request. The instructor's date of birth and driver's license
5number and any other personally identifying information as
6deemed by the federal Driver's Privacy Protection Act of 1994
7must be redacted from any public materials.
8    Such a course may be commenced immediately after the
9completion of a prior course. Teachers of such courses shall
10meet the licensure requirements of this Code and regulations of
11the State Board as to qualifications.
12    Subject to rules of the State Board of Education, the
13school district may charge a reasonable fee, not to exceed $50,
14to students who participate in the course, unless a student is
15unable to pay for such a course, in which event the fee for
16such a student must be waived. However, the district may
17increase this fee to an amount not to exceed $250 by school
18board resolution following a public hearing on the increase,
19which increased fee must be waived for students who participate
20in the course and are unable to pay for the course. The total
21amount from driver education fees and reimbursement from the
22State for driver education must not exceed the total cost of
23the driver education program in any year and must be deposited
24into the school district's driver education fund as a separate
25line item budget entry. All moneys deposited into the school
26district's driver education fund must be used solely for the

 

 

HB2087 Engrossed- 7 -LRB101 07258 AXK 52297 b

1funding of a high school driver education program approved by
2the State Board of Education that uses driver education
3instructors endorsed by the State Board of Education.
4(Source: P.A. 99-642, eff. 7-28-16; 99-720, eff. 1-1-17;
5100-465, eff. 8-31-17.)
 
6    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
7becoming law.