Illinois General Assembly - Bill Status for HB2802

Amends the Compulsory Attendance Article of the School Code. Provides that a female student in any of grades 6 through 12 who is participating in an educational program in the fields of science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics, subject to guidelines established by the State Board of Education, shall be permitted by a school board to have one school-day-long, excused absence per school year to participate in an externship or volunteer opportunity with an Illinois organization in the fields of science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics. Provides that the school board may require that the student provide reasonable advance notice of the intended absence to the appropriate school administrator and require that the student provide documentation of the participation in an externship or volunteer opportunity to the appropriate school administrator.

Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Amends the School Code. In provisions concerning the daily pupil attendance calculation, allows for participation in a supervised career development experience (instead of a supervised career development experience or any work-based learning experience) in which student participation and learning outcomes are approved (instead of directed) by a licensed educator for assessment of competencies. Provides that participation (instead of participation in a work-based learning experience) may include, but is not limited to, scheduled events of local, State, and national youth organizations, career and technical education student organizations, FFA associations, and 4-H programs as part of organized competitions, exhibitions, or conferences (instead of scheduled events of State FFA associations, the National FFA Organization, and 4-H programs as part of organized competitions or exhibitions). Allows for participation in any work-based learning experience, including supervised agricultural experiences, in which student participation and learning outcomes are approved by an educator who holds an Educator License with Stipulations with a Career and Technical Educator endorsement and a work-based learning designation, as required by rule. Allows for participation in a youth apprenticeship in which student participation and outcomes are approved (instead of directed) by a licensed educator for assessment of competencies. Provides that a student and the student's parent or legal guardian are responsible for obtaining coursework that is missed while the student participates in an activity from the student's teacher; makes related changes. Requires school district attendance policies to be updated, added to a district's student handbook, and publicly posted to reflect the activities allowed to be counted toward the calculation of clock hours of school work. Provides that these policies shall include, at a minimum, an approval process for students to attend allowable activities and provisions for making up missed coursework that do not penalize a student.

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