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90_HB0720 105 ILCS 5/10-20.12b Amends the School Code. Deletes a provision which includes as a form of legal custody used in determining a pupil's district of residence custody exercised by an adult who demonstrates that he has assumed and exercises legal responsibility for the pupil and provides the pupil with a regular fixed night-time abode for purposes other than to have access to the educational programs of a school district. Also replaces a provision that provides that the residence of a person who has legal custody is deemed to be the residence of the pupil with language that provides that the residence of a pupil is deemed to be the residence of a person who has legal custody of the pupil. LRB9003491THpk LRB9003491THpk 1 AN ACT to amend the School Code by changing Section 2 10-20.12b. 3 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, 4 represented in the General Assembly: 5 Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing 6 Section 10-20.12b as follows: 7 (105 ILCS 5/10-20.12b) 8 Sec. 10-20.12b. Residency; payment of tuition; hearing; 9 criminal penalty. 10 (a) For purposes of this Section: 11 (1) The residence of a pupil is deemed to be the 12 residence of a person who has legal custody of the pupil 13The residence of a person who has legal custody of a14pupil is deemed to be the residence of the pupil. 15 (2) "Legal custody" means one of the following: 16 (i) Custody exercised by a natural or adoptive 17 parent with whom the pupil resides. 18 (ii) Custody granted by order of a court of 19 competent jurisdiction to a person with whom the 20 pupil resides for reasons other than to have access 21 to the educational programs of the district. 22 (iii) Custody exercised under a statutory 23 short-term guardianship, provided that within 60 24 days of the pupil's enrollment a court order is 25 entered that establishes a permanent guardianship 26 and grants custody to a person with whom the pupil 27 resides for reasons other than to have access to the 28 educational programs of the district. 29 (iv) Custody exercised by an adult caretaker 30 relative who is receiving aid under the Illinois 31 Public Aid Code for the pupil who resides with that -2- LRB9003491THpk 1 adult caretaker relative for purposes other than to 2 have access to the educational programs of the 3 district. 4(v) Custody exercised by an adult who5demonstrates that, in fact, he or she has assumed6and exercises legal responsibility for the pupil and7provides the pupil with a regular fixed night-time8abode for purposes other than to have access to the9educational programs of the district.10 (b) Except as otherwise provided under Section 10-22.5a, 11 only resident pupils of a school district may attend the 12 schools of the district without payment of the tuition 13 required to be charged under Section 10-20.12a. However, 14 children for whom the Guardianship Administrator of the 15 Department of Children and Family Services has been appointed 16 temporary custodian or guardian of the person of a child 17 shall not be charged tuition as a nonresident pupil if the 18 child was placed by the Department of Children and Family 19 Services with a foster parent or placed in another type of 20 child care facility and the foster parent or child care 21 facility is located in a school district other than the 22 child's former school district and it is determined by the 23 Department of Children and Family Services to be in the 24 child's best interest to maintain attendance at his or her 25 former school district. 26 (c) If a school board determines that a pupil who is 27 attending school in the district on a tuition free basis is a 28 nonresident of the district for whom tuition is required to 29 be charged under Section 10-20.12a, the board shall notify 30 the person who enrolled the pupil of the amount of the 31 tuition charged under Section 10-20.12a that is due to the 32 district for the nonresident pupil's attendance in the 33 district's schools. The notice shall be given by certified 34 mail, return receipt requested. Within 10 days after receipt -3- LRB9003491THpk 1 of the notice, the person who enrolled the pupil may request 2 a hearing to review the determination of the school board. 3 The request shall be sent by certified mail, return receipt 4 requested, to the district superintendent. Within 10 days 5 after receipt of the request, the board shall notify, by 6 certified mail, return receipt requested, the person 7 requesting the hearing of the time and place of the hearing, 8 which shall be held not less than 10 nor more than 20 days 9 after the notice of hearing is given. The board or a hearing 10 officer designated by the board shall conduct the hearing. 11 The board and the person who enrolled the pupil may be 12 represented at the hearing by representatives of their 13 choice. At the hearing, the person who enrolled the pupil 14 shall have the burden of going forward with the evidence 15 concerning the pupil's residency. If the hearing is 16 conducted by a hearing officer, the hearing officer, within 5 17 days after the conclusion of the hearing, shall send a 18 written report of his or her findings by certified mail, 19 return receipt requested, to the school board and to the 20 person who enrolled the pupil. The person who enrolled the 21 pupil may, within 5 days after receiving the findings, file 22 written objections to the findings with the school board by 23 sending the objections by certified mail, return receipt 24 requested, addressed to the district superintendent. Whether 25 the hearing is conducted by the school board or a hearing 26 officer, the school board shall, within 15 days after the 27 conclusion of the hearing, decide whether or not the pupil is 28 a resident of the district and the amount of any tuition 29 required to be charged under Section 10-20.12a as a result of 30 the pupil's attendance in the schools of the district. The 31 school board shall send a copy of its decision to the person 32 who enrolled the pupil, and the decision of the school board 33 shall be final. 34 (d) If a hearing is requested under subsection (c) to -4- LRB9003491THpk 1 review the school board's determination that a nonresident 2 pupil is attending the schools of the district without 3 payment of the tuition required to be charged under Section 4 10-20.12a, the pupil may, at the request of a person who 5 enrolled the pupil, continue attendance at the schools of the 6 district pending a final decision of the school board 7 following the hearing. However, attendance of that pupil in 8 the schools of the district as authorized by this subsection 9 (d) shall not relieve any person who enrolled the pupil of 10 the obligation to pay the tuition charged for that attendance 11 under Section 10-20.12a if the final decision of the school 12 board is that the pupil is a nonresident of the district. If 13 a pupil is determined to be a nonresident of the district for 14 whom tuition is required to be charged pursuant to this 15 Section, the school board shall refuse to permit the pupil to 16 continue attending the schools of the district unless the 17 required tuition is paid for the pupil. 18 (e) Except for a pupil referred to in subsection (b) of 19 Section 10-22.5a, a pupil referred to in Section 10-20.12a, 20 or a pupil referred to in subsection (b) of this Section, a 21 person who knowingly enrolls or attempts to enroll in the 22 schools of a school district on a tuition free basis a pupil 23 known by that person to be a nonresident of the district 24 shall be guilty of a Class C misdemeanor. 25 (f) A person who knowingly or wilfully presents to any 26 school district any false information regarding the residency 27 of a pupil for the purpose of enabling that pupil to attend 28 any school in that district without the payment of a 29 nonresident tuition charge shall be guilty of a Class C 30 misdemeanor. 31 (g) The provisions of this Section are subject to the 32 provisions of the Education for Homeless Children Act. 33 Nothing in this Section shall be construed to apply to or 34 require the payment of tuition by a parent or guardian of a -5- LRB9003491THpk 1 "homeless child" (as that term is defined in Section 1-5 of 2 the Education for Homeless Children Act) in connection with 3 or as a result of the homeless child's continued education or 4 enrollment in a school that is chosen in accordance with any 5 of the options provided in Section 1-10 of that Act. 6 (Source: P.A. 89-480, eff. 1-1-97.)