95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2007 and 2008
HB0200

 

Introduced 1/19/2007, by Rep. Cynthia Soto

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
105 ILCS 5/34-18.34 new
30 ILCS 805/8.31 new

    Amends the School Code. Provides that a Chicago school is eligible for closure only if closure is necessary to best serve the school-age children of that community and the Chicago Board of Education (i) adopts and relies upon measurable criteria for closings developed in conjunction with local school councils throughout the school district; (ii) applies the criteria consistently throughout the district; and (iii) fully and timely discloses to stakeholders and the public all information relevant to the criteria. Sets forth provisions concerning public hearings and voting procedures, alternative school enrollment, transitional services, and an annual report. Amends the State Mandates Act to require implementation without reimbursement.


LRB095 03754 RAS 23783 b

FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY
STATE MANDATES ACT MAY REQUIRE REIMBURSEMENT

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

HB0200 LRB095 03754 RAS 23783 b

1     AN ACT concerning education.
 
2     Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
 
4     Section 5. The School Code is amended by adding Section
5 34-18.34 as follows:
 
6     (105 ILCS 5/34-18.34 new)
7     Sec. 34-18.34. Closure of schools.
8     (a) The General Assembly recognizes that a school is a
9 major institution in a community with many resources,
10 opportunities, and stakeholders, not the least of whom are the
11 families with children who seek and deserve a quality
12 education. It is the intention of the General Assembly to
13 ensure that (i) a school is closed only at the end of a school
14 year and only when necessary in the interests of the children
15 to do so; (ii) the community has a voice in such decisions; and
16 (iii) all students thereby displaced are protected.
17     (b) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Code, no
18 school in the district may be closed except as provided in this
19 Section. A school is eligible for closure only if closure is
20 necessary to best serve the school-age children of that
21 community and the board does the following:
22         (1) adopts and relies upon measurable criteria for
23     school closings developed in conjunction with local school

 

 

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1     councils throughout the district;
2         (2) applies the criteria consistently throughout the
3     district; and
4         (3) fully and timely discloses to stakeholders and the
5     public all information relevant to the criteria, including
6     information that tends to support or refute the fact that
7     the criteria are met.
8     (c) The board must announce any recommendations for closure
9 at least 6 months before the date of a board vote on closure. A
10 final vote on school closure for any school proposed to be
11 closed at the end of the school year must be taken no later
12 than 30 days before the application deadline for entry into the
13 district's schools of choice for the following school year.
14     (d) Before a vote on closure, the board must conduct 3
15 public hearings. The time and place of each hearing must be
16 chosen to ensure maximum participation of the local community,
17 school staff, and the families whose children are in attendance
18 at the school. Information and testimony provided at these
19 hearings, together with the information disclosed under item
20 (3) of subsection (b) of this Section shall form the basis for
21 the board's subsequent school closure vote.
22     (e) Whenever a school is scheduled for closing in
23 accordance with this Section, the district must provide to each
24 student to be affected by the closure, including the elementary
25 students in feeder schools of a closing high school, the choice
26 to enroll in another suitable school that has been determined

 

 

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1 to have met adequate yearly progress, as that term is defined
2 in the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, for at least 2
3 years preceding the year in which closure is achieved. Once
4 enrolled therein, a student shall retain the right to remain in
5 the school selected for the duration of the school's program
6 and must be provided, if necessary, transportation suitable for
7 the student to permit continued attendance.
8     (f) Transitional services must be provided to all students
9 displaced by closure of a school. These services must include,
10 at a minimum, an assessment of the student's educational needs
11 and related social needs prior to the school's closure and
12 involvement of the parents or guardians in a child-centered
13 process for transferring from the closing school and entering
14 and integrating into the new receiving school. The performance
15 of displaced students must be monitored individually and
16 tracked to ensure that student needs are timely met. Any
17 receiving school shall be provided adequate resources to meet
18 the requirements of this Section.
19     (g) The district must prepare and publish an annual report
20 on the impacts of school closings on both the student
21 population reassigned as a result of a school closing and the
22 student population in the receiving schools.
 
23     Section 90. The State Mandates Act is amended by adding
24 Section 8.31 as follows:
 

 

 

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1     (30 ILCS 805/8.31 new)
2     Sec. 8.31. Exempt mandate. Notwithstanding Sections 6 and 8
3 of this Act, no reimbursement by the State is required for the
4 implementation of any mandate created by this amendatory Act of
5 the 95th General Assembly.