Illinois General Assembly - Bill Status for SB0449

Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Amends the School Code. Creates the Children and Youth Who Are Parents, Expectant Parents, or Victims of Gender-Based Violence Article. Defines terms. Requires the State Board of Education to create the Ensuring Success in School working group to advise the State Board on the implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of the Article by schools and school districts, including the development of policies, procedures, and protocols to be implemented by schools and school districts; provides for the working group's membership. Every 2 years, requires each school district to review all existing policies and procedures and revise any existing policies and procedures that may act as a barrier to the immediate enrollment and re-enrollment, attendance, graduation, and success in school of any youth who is a parent, expectant parent, or victim of gender-based violence or any policies or procedures that may compromise a criminal investigation relating to gender-based violence or may re-victimize the youth. On or before July 1, 2020, requires each school district to adopt one procedure to resolve complaints of alleged incidents of student-perpetrated, gender-based violence; specifies procedure requirements. Requires each school district to adopt and implement a policy and protocol to ensure that all information concerning a youth's status and related experiences as a parent, expectant parent, or victim of gender-based violence provided to or otherwise obtained by the school district or its employees or agents shall be retained in the strictest confidence by the school district or its employees or agents. Requires each school district to designate or appoint at least one staff person at each school in the district who is employed at least part-time at the school and who is a school social worker, school psychologist, school counselor, school nurse, school teacher, or school administrator trained to address, in a culturally responsive, confidential, and sensitive manner, the needs of youth who are parents, expectant parents, or victims of gender-based violence; specifies the staff person's duties. Provides that a student who is a victim of gender-based violence must be permitted to transfer schools immediately and as needed, including to a school in another school district, if the student's continued attendance at a particular attendance center, school facility, or school location poses a risk to the student's mental or physical well-being or safety. Makes other changes. Amends the Illinois School Student Records Act to provide that all information concerning a student's status and related experiences as a parent, expectant parent, or victim of gender-based violence must be retained by the school in the strictest confidence. Amends the State Mandates Act to require implementation without reimbursement. Effective immediately.

Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Reinserts the provisions of the engrossed bill with the following changes. With regard to a student who is a victim of gender-based violence and who seeks transfer to another school, provides that the school district the student transfers to must be an adjoining school district, unless there is no attendance center, school facility, or school location in that district in which the student's attendance poses no risk to the student's mental or physical well-being or safety. Provides that the school district the student seeks to transfer to may deny a transfer to a particular attendance center if (i) the attendance center exceeds or, as a result of the transfer, would exceed its attendance capacity, (ii) the student does not meet the attendance center's academic criteria for enrollment, or (iii) the transfer would prevent the school district from meeting obligations under State or federal law, a court order, or a consent decree. Provides that if no adjoining school district is available for transfer, the student may transfer to another school district, unless there is no attendance center, school facility, or school location in that district in which the student's attendance poses no risk to the student's mental or physical well-being or safety. With regard to the Children and Youth Who Are Parents, Expectant Parents, or Victims of Gender-Based Violence Article, defines "sexual activity" and modifies other definitions. Changes the membership of the Ensuring Success in School working group and requires the members to serve for a term of 2 years, which may be extended for a second term. Requires the working group to incorporate the advice and recommendations of youth who are parents, expectant parents, and victims of gender-based violence into the working group's advice to the State Board of Education on the implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of the Article. Requires complaint resolution procedures to be adopted by each school district by January 1, 2021 (rather than July 1, 2020) and adds a complaint of a violation of the Article as part of the procedure; makes conforming changes. Makes other changes. Effective immediately.

×