Education

Amends the Downstate Teacher Article of the Illinois Pension Code. Provides that, through June 30, 2029 (instead of June 30, 2026), an annuitant may accept employment as a teacher without impairing his or her retirement status if that employment is not within the school year during which service was terminated and does not exceed 120 paid days or 600 paid hours in each school year, but not more than 100 paid days in the same classroom. Makes a conforming change. Effective immediately.

Urges regulators and enforcement agencies to increase inspections and ensure that manufacturers, distributors, and retailers reduce the selling of unlawful, kid-friendly vapes. Urges for strengthened coordination between State agencies, law enforcement, school districts, and public health authorities to reduce youth access to illegal vape products and protect the health of all students.

Urges the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) to identify and publish a list of evidence-based, decision-making, and impulse-control curricula that have been demonstrated to reduce violence involvement, make at least one free or low-cost curriculum available statewide for optional integration into existing Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) instruction, encourage districts to implement these programs using existing resources and staff development, and develop, pilot, and rigorously test new school-based decision-making and violence-prevention curricula that can be easily adopted by ISBE and schools statewide if proven effective in reducing violence. Urges the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts (AOIC), the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ), and county probation and diversion programs to identify and approve evidence-based, decision-making curricula appropriate for minors under supervision, diversion, or detention, to encourage their integration as standard early interventions, and to implement these initiatives within existing budgets and structures. Urges the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) and the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (ICJIA) to coordinate with ISBE, AOIC, DJJ, and local partners to align violence-prevention curricula and community-based interventions across settings. Recognizes Professor Jens Ludwig for his groundbreaking research, leadership, and publication of Unforgiving Places. Acknowledges the contributions of other scholars and organizations advancing behavioral approaches to violence prevention.

Urges the United States Department of Education to reverse the reclassification of architecture graduate degrees from "professional" to" non-professional" degrees under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA).

Encourages all public school districts serving grades 6 through 12 to develop a plan to adopt school start times that reflect the biological sleep needs of adolescents.

Amends the Smart Start Illinois Act. Expands eligibility under the Smart Start Child Care Workforce Compensation Program to Head Start and Early Head Start programs.

Amends the School Code. Provides that, subject to appropriation, the State Board of Education, in consultation with the Department of Public Health, shall develop an educational document explaining, at a minimum, the values of good indoor air quality and shall supply the document to school districts. Provides that, subject to funding from the State Board, a school district shall ensure that all active classrooms are equipped with an air quality monitor.

Amends the College and Career Success for All Students Act. Requires an International Baccalaureate teacher to obtain appropriate training, subject to appropriation. Provides that International Baccalaureate training to teachers in Illinois high schools must provide teachers of International Baccalaureate courses with the necessary content knowledge and instructional skills to prepare students for success in International Baccalaureate courses and examinations and provide administrators, including principals and counselors, with professional development that will enable them to create strong and effective International Baccalaureate programs in their schools. Provides that the AP exam fee reduction program also applies to fees charged for an International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme subject.

Amends the Illinois Library System Act. Increases the amounts to be provided by the State Librarian for annual library system grants, for annual grants to qualified public libraries in the State, and for annual school library grants. Effective immediately.

Amends the School Code. Requires every public elementary and high school to include in its curriculum the study of the contributions made by Latin Americans to the economic, cultural, social, and political development of the United States. Provides that the regional superintendent of schools shall monitor a school district's compliance with the requirement during the regional superintendent's annual compliance visit and make recommendations for improvement. Provides that the failure by a school district or school to comply with the requirement shall result in a written warning for the first offense, and if the school district or school continues to fail to comply with the requirements, the school district or school shall face disciplinary action at the discretion of the regional superintendent. Requires the State Superintendent of Education to prepare and make available to all school boards instructional materials and professional development opportunities that may be used as guidelines for the development of a Latin American unit of study. Effective August 1, 2026.