Education

Amends the Student Transfer Achievement Reform Act. Provides that the Board of Higher Education and the Illinois Community College Board shall develop a policy to foster the reverse transfer of credit for any student who has accumulated at least 30 (rather than 15) hours of academic credit at a community college and a sufficient number of hours of academic credit at a State university in the prescribed courses necessary to meet a community college's requirements to be awarded an associate degree. Provides that each State university shall automatically notify any transfer student accepted to the State university with at least 30 hours of academic credit at a community college of the option for the reverse transfer of credit within the student's first term of enrollment. Provides that a community college shall provide notification to a student wishing to reverse transfer earned academic credit with instructions on application for conferral of an associate degree. Provides that a community college or State university may not charge an application, transfer evaluation, or graduation fee or any other fee associated with conferral of an associate degree through reverse transfer. Provides that a community college shall include each student awarded an associate degree through reverse transfer within its student information system. Effective immediately.

Amends the Charter Schools Law of the School Code. Provides that upon approval of a charter renewal by an authorizer, the charter operator shall execute the renewal agreement no later than 90 days after the date of the authorizer's final renewal approval. Provides that a charter school that is deemed nonrenewed is ineligible to receive any payments from a school district. Provides that a charter operator that fails to execute a renewal agreement within a specified period may not continue to operate the charter school beyond the expiration of the existing charter term and is subject to closure procedures. Requires every charter operator to maintain closure security. Provides that failure to maintain closure security is a basis for the authorizer to withhold a portion of per-pupil payments until compliance is achieved and for consideration in denying a charter renewal or revoking the charter or ineligibility to operate additional charter campuses. Provides that if the closure security is insufficient to cover the costs of a closure event, the authorizer or the State Board of Education may bring a civil action against the charter operator to recover the unpaid amounts and seek to impose a lien on any property owned by the charter operator to secure recovery. Provides that if an authorizer determines that a charter school is in financial distress, the authorizer may require the charter operator to submit a financial remediation plan within 30 days. Provides that if the authorizer determines that the charter school has failed to implement an approved remediation plan or the financial distress presents an immediate risk to students, employees, or public funds, the authorizer may initiate financial intervention by appointing an independent fiscal manager approved by the authorizer and the State Board. Allows the fiscal manager to exercise authority limited to financial matters. Provides that financial intervention is temporary and may not exceed 180 days, except that the authorizer may extend the intervention once for good cause. Makes other changes. Effective immediately.

Amends the Courses of Study Article of the School Code. Provides that a school district is exempt from requiring pupils, beginning with the 2028-2029 school year, to complete 2 years of foreign language in order to graduate if the school district sends a written request to waive the requirement to the State Board of Education and includes evidence in the request that the school district does not have the employees necessary to provide 2 years of foreign language education to all pupils in secondary school within the school district. Provides that after receiving a written request from a school district, the State Superintendent of Education shall approve the request if the evidence included in the request is determined by the State Superintendent to be sufficient. Provides that a pupil is exempt from the 2-year foreign language requirement if the pupil or a school counselor, in consultation with the pupil, develops a postsecondary plan that is centered around postsecondary opportunities that do not include postsecondary education through an institution of higher education. Provides that the pupil or the school counselor shall send the postsecondary plan to the superintendent of the school district in order to be exempt from the 2-year foreign language requirement. Effective July 1, 2026.

Amends the School Code. Prohibits the State Board of Education from developing, purchasing, or requiring a school district to administer, develop, or purchase a standardized assessment for students enrolled or preparing to enroll in prekindergarten through grade 12 (rather than grade 2), other than for diagnostic purposes. Prohibits the State Board of Education from providing funding for any standardized assessment of students enrolled or preparing to enroll in prekindergarten through grade 12 (rather than grade 2). Makes related changes. Effective immediately.

Amends the School Code. Removes language that requires, beginning with the 2028-2029 school year, as a prerequisite to receiving a high school diploma, each pupil entering the 9th grade to, in addition to other course requirements, successfully complete 2 years of foreign language courses.

Amends the Downstate Teacher and Chicago Teacher Articles of the Illinois Pension Code. Provides that none of the benefits provided for in those Articles shall be paid to any person who is convicted of any crime under the Sex Offenses Article of the Criminal Code of 2012 or of a crime that requires registration under the Sex Offender Registration Act. Provides that none of the benefits shall be paid to a person during a criminal investigation for acts that constitute a crime under the Sex Offenses Article of the Criminal Code of 2012 or to a person during a criminal proceeding for a violation of Article 11 of the Criminal Code of 2012. If criminal charges under the Sex Offenses Article of the Criminal Code of 2012 are dismissed with prejudice or the person is acquitted of those criminal charges, then the right to benefit payments shall resume. Provides that none of the benefits shall be paid to a person during an investigation by an inspector general in connection with acts of sexual misconduct committed against a student. Provides that, if the inspector general finds that the allegations of sexual misconduct are substantiated, then none of the benefits shall be paid to that person. Provides that, if the inspector general finds that the allegations of sexual misconduct against a student are without merit, unsubstantiated, or unfounded, then the right to benefit payments shall resume. Specifies that provisions concerning the forfeiture of benefits apply without regard to whether the person resigned or was terminated from employment. Provides that the changes made by the amendatory Act apply only to a person who first becomes a teacher on or after the effective date of the amendatory Act. Makes other changes.

Amends the Interscholastic Athletic Organization Act. Provides that any athletic team or sport that is under the jurisdiction of an association or entity that provides for interscholastic athletics or athletic competition among schools and student must be expressly designated as (i) a male athletic team or sport, (ii) a female athletic team or sport, or (iii) a coeducational athletic team or sport. Provides that an athletic team or sport designated as being female is available only to participants who are female, based on their biological sex. Requires a school district or nonpublic school to obtain a written statement signed by a student's parent or guardian or the student verifying the student's age, biological sex, and that the student has not taken performance enhancing drugs; provides for a penalty for false or misleading statements. Prohibits a governmental entity or an association or entity that provides for interscholastic athletics or athletic competition among schools and students from entertaining a complaint, opening an investigation, or taking any other adverse action against a school district or nonpublic school for maintaining athletic teams or sports in accordance with these provisions.

Amends the Holocaust and Genocide Commission Act to make changes concerning Commission members. Amends the School Code. Provides that the State Board of Education shall have departments (rather than divisions) within the State Board. Makes changes concerning block grants for Chicago. Removes language encouraging the State Superintendent of Education to establish a program of academic credit for Tech Prep work-based learning for secondary school students with an interest in pursuing such career training. With respect to a school district's required account audit, provides that the auditing firm for each school district shall file with the State Board the Annual Financial Report no later than February 15 following the end of each fiscal year and makes other changes. With respect to a school financial condition statement, removes language providing that any district from which a report is not received when required shall have its portion of the distributive fund withheld for the next ensuing year until the report is filed and makes other changes. Makes changes concerning a statement of affairs and a report on contracts. Removes language providing for enrollment of an English learner in a program in transitional bilingual education for a period of 3 years. Repeals provisions concerning: the Mathematics and Science Block Grant Program Article; rewards; the Reading Improvement Block Grant Program; the Continued Reading Improvement Block Grant Program; the School STEAM Grant Program; and civic education advancement. Makes conforming and other changes in the School Code and the Bikeway Act. Repeals the Illinois Summer School for the Arts Act and the Interagency Board for Children who are Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing and have an Emotional or Behavioral Disorder Act.

Creates the Taxpayer Protection Act. Provides that, on and after the effective date of the Act, for bonds or incurred debt issued through a referendum by a unit of local government or school district, the bonds or incurred debt shall not be extended or reissued unless authorized by a referendum. Provides that a unit of local government or school district shall not submit the question concerning the extension or reissuance of a bond or incurring debt to voters in a referendum until at least one year has passed since the retirement of the bond or debt approved by a referendum. Provides that, on and after the effective date of the Act, a unit of local government or school district shall not submit a question concerning the issuance of a bond or incurring debt to the voters in a referendum until at least one year has passed since that unit or district last proposed a question or proposition concerning the issuance of bonds or incurring debt in a referendum. Limits home rule powers. Amends the Property Tax Code. Provides that there shall not be a service extension base annual increase unless increased by referendum. Amends the School Code. Provides that no later than 30 days before a school district submits to the voters of that district a question on whether to issue bonds or increase the school district's property tax rate, the school district must send informational material to each resident of voting age in the school district; defines "informational material". Specifies what must be included in the informational material. Effective immediately.

Amends the Counties Code. Provides that a county shall not require a school district organized under the School Code or a park district organized under the Park District Code to provide paid leave to the employees of the school district or park district. Limits home rule powers.