HB1246 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB103 04766 RJT 49775 b

103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024
HB1246

Introduced 1/31/2023, by Rep. Steven Reick

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

105 ILCS 5/10-20.85 new
105 ILCS 5/34-18.82 new

Amends the School Code. By July 15 of each year, requires certain school boards to report, on their school district's website, a list of the learning materials and activities used for student instruction during the previous school year. Requires that the report also include any procedures that are in effect at each school for the documentation, review, or approval of the learning materials and activities used for student instruction. Specifies the minimum information that must be included in the report. Allows a school district to update the report on an ongoing basis and to utilize collaborative online document or spreadsheet software to update or make additions to the report. Sets forth other requirements. Effective July 1, 2023.

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 1. This Act may be referred to as the School Materials and Activities Report for Transparency Law.

Section 5. The School Code is amended by adding Sections 10-20.85 and 34-18.82 as follows:

(105 ILCS 5/10-20.85 new)

Sec. 10-20.85. Learning materials and activities report.

(a) In this Section:

"Activities" includes, but is not limited to, student assemblies, guest lectures, educational events facilitated by a school's administration or staff, or educational events conducted by outside individuals or organizations. "Activities" does not include student presentations.

"Learning materials" includes, but is not limited to, any of the following:

(1) Instructional material that consists of content that conveys to a student through a medium or a combination of media the essential knowledge, information, and skills pertaining to a subject included in a public school curriculum. In this paragraph (1), "instructional material" includes a book or books; workbooks; supplementary materials; a combination of a book or books, workbooks, and supplementary materials; computer software, magnetic media, DVDs, CD-ROMs, computer courseware, online services, or an electronic medium; or other means of conveying information to a student or otherwise contributing to the learning process through electronic means, including through open education resource instructional material as described in paragraph (2) of this definition.

(2) Open education resource instructional material that consists of teaching, learning, and research resources that reside in the public domain or have been released under an intellectual property license and allows for the free use, reuse, modification, and sharing of resources with others. In this paragraph (2), "open education resource instructional material" includes full courses, course materials, modules, textbooks, streaming videos, tests or exams, software, or any other tools, materials, or techniques used to support access to knowledge and also includes State-developed open education resource instructional material.

(3) Teaching aids.

(4) Any other material for student instruction in which a student has the option to select the material.

"Used for student instruction" means assigned, provided, or otherwise presented to a school's students in (i) any course for which students receive academic credit or (ii) any educational capacity in which participation of the student body is required by the school or in which a majority of the students in a particular grade level participate.

(b) By July 15 of each year, the school board of each school district with 300 or more students enrolled during the previous school year shall report for each of the district's schools the following information in a prominent location on the district's website:

(1) A list of the learning materials and activities that were used for student instruction during the previous school year. The list of learning materials and activities shall be organized, at a minimum, by grade level and subject area.

(2) Any procedures that are in effect at each school for the documentation, review, or approval by the school's administrators, principal, or teachers of the learning materials and activities used for student instruction.

(c) Under this Section, a school board is required to report only the information that is necessary to identify the specific learning materials and activities used for student instruction at each school. The information reported must include the title and the author, the name of the organization, or the Internet address, as appropriate, associated with each of the learning materials or activities. Nothing in this Section may be construed to require either of the following:

(1) The publication of a digital reproduction of learning materials on a school district's website.

(2) A separate listing of the individual components of learning materials produced as a single volume; however, if the volume contains works by multiple authors, the listing shall provide either a table of contents or an Internet address that discloses the discrete works and authors contained within the volume.

(d) By May 1 of each year, the State Board of Education shall notify a school district whether the school district is required to comply with this Section.

(e) Under this Section, a school district may, but is not required to:

(1) update the report and post the updated report on the district's website on an ongoing basis during the school year, provided that the updated report is completed by July 1 following the completion of the school year; and

(2) utilize collaborative online document or spreadsheet software that allows multiple authorized users to update or make additions to the report on an ongoing basis, provided that a link to the report is publicly accessible on the district's website.

(f) Each school year's report under this Section shall remain publicly available on the school district's website at least until the report for the following school year is completed and made publicly available on the district's website.

(105 ILCS 5/34-18.82 new)

Sec. 34-18.82. Learning materials and activities report.

(a) In this Section:

"Activities" includes, but is not limited to, student assemblies, guest lectures, educational events facilitated by a school's administration or staff, or educational events conducted by outside individuals or organizations. "Activities" does not include student presentations.

"Learning materials" includes, but is not limited to, any of the following:

(1) Instructional material that consists of content that conveys to a student through a medium or a combination of media the essential knowledge, information, and skills pertaining to a subject included in a public school curriculum. In this paragraph (1), "instructional material" includes a book or books; workbooks; supplementary materials; a combination of a book or books, workbooks, and supplementary materials; computer software, magnetic media, DVDs, CD-ROMs, computer courseware, online services, or an electronic medium; or other means of conveying information to a student or otherwise contributing to the learning process through electronic means, including through open education resource instructional material as described in paragraph (2) of this definition.

(2) Open education resource instructional material that consists of teaching, learning, and research resources that reside in the public domain or have been released under an intellectual property license and allows for the free use, reuse, modification, and sharing of resources with others. In this paragraph (2), "open education resource instructional material" includes full courses, course materials, modules, textbooks, streaming videos, tests or exams, software, or any other tools, materials, or techniques used to support access to knowledge and also includes State-developed open education resource instructional material.

(3) Teaching aids.

(4) Any other material for student instruction in which a student has the option to select the material.

"Used for student instruction" means assigned, provided, or otherwise presented to a school's students in (i) any course for which students receive academic credit or (ii) any educational capacity in which participation of the student body is required by the school or in which a majority of the students in a particular grade level participate.

(b) By July 15 of each year, the board shall report for each of the school district's schools the following information in a prominent location on the district's website:

(1) A list of the learning materials and activities that were used for student instruction during the previous school year. The list of learning materials and activities shall be organized, at a minimum, by grade level and subject area.

(2) Any procedures that are in effect at each school for the documentation, review, or approval by each school's administrators, principal, or teachers of the learning materials and activities used for student instruction.

(c) Under this Section, the board is required to report only the information that is necessary to identify the specific learning materials and activities used for student instruction at each school. The information reported must include the title and the author, the name of the organization, or the Internet address, as appropriate, associated with each of the learning materials or activities. Nothing in this Section may be construed to require either of the following:

(1) The publication of a digital reproduction of learning materials on the school district's website.

(2) A separate listing of the individual components of learning materials produced as a single volume; however, if the volume contains works by multiple authors, the listing shall provide either a table of contents or an Internet address that discloses the discrete works and authors contained within the volume.

(d) Under this Section, the school district may, but is not required to:

(1) update the report and post the updated report on the district's website on an ongoing basis during the school year, provided that the updated report is completed by July 1 following the completion of the school year; and

(2) utilize collaborative online document or spreadsheet software that allows multiple authorized users to update or make additions to the report on an ongoing basis, provided that a link to the report is publicly accessible on the district's website.

(e) Each school year's report under this Section shall remain publicly available on the school district's website at least until the report for the following school year is completed and made publicly available on the district's website.

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1, 2023.