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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 | 2-3.196 as follows: | ||||||
| 6 | (105 ILCS 5/2-3.196 new) | ||||||
| 7 | Sec. 2-3.196. Paid school social worker internships; grant | ||||||
| 8 | program. | ||||||
| 9 | (a) Beginning with the 2023-2024 school year, all | ||||||
| 10 | internships for school social workers must be paid | ||||||
| 11 | internships. | ||||||
| 12 | (b) Subject to appropriation, the State Board of Education | ||||||
| 13 | shall award competitive grants on an annual basis to school | ||||||
| 14 | districts to assist in the funding of these paid internships. | ||||||
| 15 | (c) Subject to appropriation, the State Board of Education | ||||||
| 16 | shall annually disseminate a request for applications to the | ||||||
| 17 | grant program under subsection (b), and funds shall be | ||||||
| 18 | distributed annually. Higher priority shall be given to | ||||||
| 19 | schools that demonstrate a shortage of school social workers, | ||||||
| 20 | which is determined by the average ratio of school social | ||||||
| 21 | workers to students in the target school district over the | ||||||
| 22 | preceding 3 school years. | ||||||
| 23 | (d) Subject to appropriation, the State Board of Education | ||||||
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| 1 | shall produce an annual report on the grant program in | ||||||
| 2 | cooperation with the school districts participating in the | ||||||
| 3 | program. The report shall include information on which school | ||||||
| 4 | districts received grants and how much money was disseminated. | ||||||
| 5 | This report shall be posted on the State Board of Education's | ||||||
| 6 | website by October 31, 2024 and each year thereafter. | ||||||
| 7 | (e) The State Board of Education may adopt any rules | ||||||
| 8 | necessary for the implementation of this Section. | ||||||
| 9 | Section 10. The Board of Higher Education Act is amended | ||||||
| 10 | by adding Section 9.43 as follows: | ||||||
| 11 | (110 ILCS 205/9.43 new) | ||||||
| 12 | Sec. 9.43. School social worker field placement grants. | ||||||
| 13 | (a) In this Section, "racial minority" means a person who | ||||||
| 14 | is a citizen of the United States or a lawful permanent | ||||||
| 15 | resident immigrant of the United States and who is: | ||||||
| 16 | (1) Black; | ||||||
| 17 | (2) Hispanic; | ||||||
| 18 | (3) Asian American; or | ||||||
| 19 | (4) American Indian or Alaskan Native. | ||||||
| 20 | (b) Subject to appropriation, the Board shall award | ||||||
| 21 | competitive grants on an annual basis to colleges and | ||||||
| 22 | universities in this State to fund field placements for social | ||||||
| 23 | workers. | ||||||
| 24 | (c) Subject to appropriation, colleges and universities | ||||||
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| 1 | shall annually disseminate a request for applications from | ||||||
| 2 | students under the grant program under subsection (b), and | ||||||
| 3 | funds shall be distributed annually. | ||||||
| 4 | (d) Colleges and universities, upon receiving funding | ||||||
| 5 | under subsection (c), shall provide applications to students | ||||||
| 6 | eligible for this funding. A college or university shall give | ||||||
| 7 | priority to applicants who are members of a racial minority. | ||||||
| 8 | (e) Each college or university that receives funds under | ||||||
| 9 | this Section shall provide an annual report to the Board. This | ||||||
| 10 | report shall include the number of students who received funds | ||||||
| 11 | and the racial background of these students. The Board shall | ||||||
| 12 | post the report from each college or university on the Board's | ||||||
| 13 | website by October 31, 2024 and each year thereafter.
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| 14 | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | ||||||
| 15 | becoming law.
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