Education

signed · Illinois · House Jul 24, 2026

HB 4581: SCH CD-SPEC ED TRANSITION PLAN

Amends the Children with Disabilities Article of the School Code. Provides that, by January 1, 2027, the State Board of Education, in consultation with the State's Work Incentives Planning and Assistance program, shall establish an efficient process by which information about the Work Incentives Planning and Assistance program is disseminated through the State Board to students, parents and guardians, transition planning and services coordinators at school districts, special education joint agreements, and other relevant educational agencies. Effective immediately.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates improved dissemination of transition services info for special education students, enhancing support access and coordination per special education requirements.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

signed · Illinois · House Jul 24, 2026

HB 4536: SCH CD-REG SUP INSTITUT-TRAUMA

Amends the Regional Superintendent of Schools Article of the School Code. With respect to the requirement that institutes provide instruction on trauma-informed practices and include the definitions of trauma, trauma-responsive learning environments, and whole child before the first student attendance day of each school year, makes changes to the definitions of "trauma" and "trauma-responsive learning environments". Defines "trauma-informed practices" to include awareness of populations for whom trauma may be ongoing, relational, and developmentally expressed over time. Effective immediately.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationAmends definitions for trauma-informed practices to enhance student support systems and educator training, aligning with educational well-being goals without restrictions.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

signed · Illinois · House Jul 24, 2026

HB 4239: SCH CD-HIGH SCH COURSE CREDIT

Amends the Courses of Study Article of the School Code. Provides that the school board of a school district that maintains any of grades 9 through 12 is authorized to adopt a policy under which a student enrolled in grade 7 or 8 who is enrolled in the unit school district or would be enrolled in the high school district upon completion of elementary school may enroll in a required high school course, provided that the course is offered by the high school that the student would attend and the student participates in the course where the student attends school as long as the course is taught by a teacher who holds a professional educator license and endorsed for the grade level and content area of the course (instead of just as long as the course is taught by a teacher who holds a professional educator license and endorsed for the grade level and content area of the course).

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationAllows 7th/8th graders to enroll in required high school courses, expanding educational access and flexibility for students in K-12 curriculum.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

signed · Illinois · House Jul 24, 2026

HB 3250: SCH CD-GLOBAL SCHOLAR CERTIFY

Amends the School Code. Provides that if the provider of the micro-credential or digital badge determines and can demonstrate that a student meets all of the criteria required to earn State Global Scholar Certification, then the school district or nonpublic school shall designate that the student has earned State Global Scholar Certification on the student's diploma and transcript.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill requires schools to recognize State Global Scholar Certification on diplomas/transcripts, expanding student achievement acknowledgment and educational access without restrictions or funding changes.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

signed · Illinois · House Jul 24, 2026

HB 4137: EDUC-HOMELESS CHILD-PREVENTION

Amends the Education for Homeless Children Act. Allows a school district to provide for an extended motel stay for a child who is homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. Effective immediately.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill directly supports educational access for homeless children by enabling school districts to provide extended motel stays to prevent homelessness disruptions, advancing K-12 student stability.95% confidence ✓ HousingSupports HousingBill addresses homelessness by enabling extended motel stays for homeless children, directly aligning with housing support indicators like preventing homelessness.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

signed · Illinois · House Jul 10, 2026

HB 5225: AUTISM SPECTRUM-DIAGNOSIS

Amends the Illinois Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Practice Act. Allows a speech-language pathologist to diagnose autism spectrum disorders if: (1) the child is under 3 years of age; and (2) the speech-language pathologist is trained in autism diagnostic evaluation methods as part of the curriculum of an approved program, through worksite training, or through continuing education. Provides that if a diagnosis requires a plan of care that includes elements that are outside the scope of practice of a speech-language pathologist, the speech-language pathologist must refer the patient to the appropriate medical personnel for further evaluation or management. Makes conforming changes in the Medical Assistance Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code, and provisions of the Illinois Insurance Code concerning autism spectrum disorders. Effective July 1, 2027.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationEnables early autism diagnosis by SLPs, improving educational access for young children with autism spectrum disorders through expanded diagnostic capacity.85% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareAllows trained SLPs to diagnose autism in children under 3, expanding access to early autism spectrum diagnosis and intervention services.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

signed · Illinois · House Jul 10, 2026

HB 4577: KINDERGARTEN-PLAY-BASED LEARN

Amends the School Code regarding the establishment of kindergartens. With respect to a provision stating that kindergarten should provide opportunities for play-based learning, defines: (1) "play-based learning" as either guided play or student-initiated play; (2) "guided play" as intentional teacher-directed play with activities set up and led by a teacher that are aligned to learning goals or standards; and (3) "student-initiated play" as child-selected opportunities to build, pretend, create, move, or explore in an environment intentionally curated by a teacher to align with learning goals or standards.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill defines play-based learning standards to strengthen kindergarten curriculum implementation, aligning with educational best practices for early childhood development.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

signed · Illinois · Senate Jul 10, 2026

SB 2909: SCH CD-TEACHER EVALUATION-AI

Amends the Evaluation of Certified Employees Article of the School Code. Prohibits an evaluator from using an artificial intelligence tool to assign a numerical score or qualitative rating for any component of a teacher's evaluation or any evaluation task that requires professional judgment. However, allows an artificial intelligence tool to be used to support the evaluator in administrative tasks.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationProhibits AI from assigning scores in teacher evaluations requiring professional judgment, protecting educator autonomy in assessments.92% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentProhibits AI from assigning scores in evaluations requiring professional judgment, protecting teacher assessment integrity as part of employment standards.80% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

passed both · Illinois · House Jul 1, 2026

HB 4795: SCH-CD-LICENSE-EARLY CHILDHOOD

Amends the Educator Licensure Article of the School Code. Provides that a National Board certification-early childhood generalist endorsement on an Educator License with Stipulations may be issued to an applicant who holds a valid Early Childhood Generalist certificate issued by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Provides that the endorsement holder is deemed qualified and authorized to provide instruction in early childhood education programs and is deemed to meet or exceed all early childhood instructional competency requirements established by the State Board for pre-kindergarten instruction.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationRecognizes National Board certification for early childhood educators, enhancing teacher qualifications and authorization per licensure standards.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

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in committee · Illinois · House Jul 1, 2026

HB 4520: $BD HIGHER ED-HUNGER FREE PRO

HB 4520 allocates $1 million from Illinois' General Revenue Fund to establish the Hunger-Free Campus Grant Fund. This funding would support colleges and universities in creating or expanding programs to address student food insecurity. The bill takes effect on July 1, 2026, and is a straightforward funding measure with no new policy requirements. It directly affects higher education institutions eligible to apply for these grants.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesAllocates $1M from General Revenue Fund to fund student food insecurity programs at colleges, increasing public service funding within state budget.95% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationAllocates $1M to fund hunger-free programs at colleges, directly supporting student access and well-being in higher education, a key education topic.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

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