6/3/21 - Illinois Legislative Round-Up
After a long and embattled legislative session, Illinois lawmakers went into overtime. Spilling into June 1st, legislators approved a $42 billion dollar state budget that includes $350 million in additional education funding. That’s the good news.
The not so good news is it was a rollercoaster for elected representative school board bills in the Senate this session. Sponsored by Rep. Ramirez in the House and Sen. Martwick in the Senate, a significantly compromised version of HB2908 passed with a 36-15-2 vote. HB2908 provides a total of 21 member seats with 11 appointed seats and 10 elected seats in 2024; in 2026 all 21 board seats would be elected. HB2908 will now go back to the House for concurrence and is expected to pass. Here is the breakdown of what we know so far.
Through our work in coalitions like the Special Education Advocacy Coalition of Chicago (SPEACC) and LSCs.4.ALL, Raise Your Hand supported the following legislation. Unless otherwise noted, the following bills have passed both the House and Senate.
Local School Council (LSC) legislative update:
SB2042 (LSC Empowerment Bill) passed in the Senate and is now headed to the House. This bill turns 14 ALSCs into fully empowered LSCs, adds a 7/8th grade advisory seat, and grants schools that have been on probation for 5 or more years the ability to approve budget and CIWP. This bill is championed by the LSCs.4.ALL coalition.
SB652 (LSC Quorum Bill) provides for a quorum of 4 if the number of members serving on an LSC falls below 7 members due to vacancies. The 4 serving members can now convene a meeting to fill vacancies through appointments. This bill was championed by the LSCs.4.ALL coalition.
SB148 (LSC Fingerprinting Bill) passed in the Senate and remains in the House. This bill would remove the fingerprinting requirement and treat LSC members like regular volunteers. This bill is championed by RYH, MALDEF, Chicago Lawyers Committee, Enlace, and ILFPS.
Special education also had a number of significant wins this session:
HB40 (Sp.Ed Age Extension) allows students with IEPs that age out (turn 22) during a school year to remain enrolled in a transition program to the end of the year. This bill was championed by the Special Education Advocacy Coalition of Chicago (SPEACC).
HB 2748 (Sp.Ed Pandemic Age Extension) is a pandemic related bill that allows students in transition programs who aged out (turned 22) during the pandemic and missed 3 or more months of in-person services to attend a transition program until the end of the 2021/2022 school year. This bill was championed by the Special Education Advocacy Coalition of Chicago (SPEACC).
HB 3950 (Sp.Ed Transition/CTE) ensures that high school students with disabilities have access to information about Career and Technical Education (CTE) opportunities as part of their transition planning for after high school. This bill was championed by the Special Education Advocacy Coalition of Chicago (SPEACC).
HB 2425 (SSCA Extension) extends the complaint period concerning delays and denials of special education services in the 2016-2017 or 2017-2018 school year by Chicago Public Schools (CPS). The new deadline is September 30, 2022. This bill was championed by the Special Education Advocacy Coalition of Chicago (SPEACC).
Additional education wins include:
HB376 (TEAACH Act) requires every public elementary school and high school to include a unit of instruction studying Asian American history. This bill was championed by Asian Americans Advancing Justice Chicago.
SB654 (Right to Play) requires all public schools provide 30 minutes for supervised, child-directed play for all students in kindergarten through grade 5. In addition, public schools may not withhold play time as a disciplinary or punitive action, unless an immediate threat to student safety. This bill was championed by Illinois Families for Public Schools (ILFPS).
HB26 (Tech Accessibility) ensures that internet content is accessible to persons with disabilities. All third party online curriculum must comply with the World Wide Web Consortium's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.
HB3223 (Ensuring Success in School Law) ensures K-12 survivors of gender-based violence and those who are pregnant or parenting are supported at school via proper trauma-informed policies and procedures. The bill was championed by Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation (CAASE).
We at RYH would like to extend special thanks to everyone who helped move the needle on education legislation this session. Please share this update widely and contact Naoma Nagahawatte, RYH Advocacy Director, at naoma@ilraiseyourhand.org for more information.