Education

Amends the State Board of Education Article of the School Code. Provides that, subject to appropriation, beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, the State Board of Education shall award competitive grants on an annual basis to school districts and other educational units that have school social work interns to assist those school districts and other educational units in the funding of school social work internships approved by the interns' educator preparation programs by providing stipends. Sets forth the stipend amount. Provides that the State Board of Education shall annually disseminate to school districts and other educational units that have school social work interns a request for applications for grants. Provides that grant applications shall be accepted on an annual basis. Provides that the State Board of Education shall establish procedures for submitting requests for stipends and issuing funds to approved applicants. Provides for prioritizing grants if an appropriation is insufficient to fund all applications for grants. Provides that for any school year in which grants are awarded, the State Board of Education shall produce a report on the awarding of grants, in cooperation with the school districts and educational units that are awarded grants. Sets forth requirements for the report. Provides that the report shall be posted on the State Board of Education's Internet website each school year in which grants are awarded. Amends the Board of Higher Education Act. Provides that, subject to appropriation, the Board of Higher Education shall establish and administer a grant program to support the field placement of social workers. Provides that the Board shall distribute the funds appropriated for this purpose in the form of grants to public or nonpublic institutions of higher education to expand opportunities for students who are intending to become social workers and to assist students in pursuing social-work related field placements, internships, and other work opportunities. Sets forth other requirements concerning the operation of the grant program. Effective immediately.

Amends the Interscholastic Athletic Organization Act. Provides that an association or other entity that promotes, sponsors, regulates, or in any manner provides for interscholastic athletics or any form of athletic competition among schools and students within the State may not adopt or maintain in effect any bylaw, rule, regulation, or policy which does not allow equal access for participation in interscholastic athletics or athletic competitions by a student based upon whether the student attends a public school, nonpublic school, or home school if the association or other entity receives any membership or other dues or fees from the governing body of any public elementary or public secondary school in the State. Effective immediately.

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.

Urges the implementation of interventions to support vaccine uptake and reduce disparities in vaccine coverage among children. Urges the Illinois Department of Health, the Illinois State Board of Education, and the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services to work with pediatricians, clinicians, families, and other stakeholders to ensure infants and children are vaccinated on time and students begin school fully vaccinated. Urges the Illinois Department of Health, the Illinois State Board of Education, and the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services to continue to invest in immunization initiatives and infrastructure to ensure timely reporting of vaccine coverage to ensure children are protected from vaccine-preventable illness in public and private schools, child care facilities, and pre-kindergarten programs and beyond.

Amends the Board of Higher Education Act and the Public Community College Act. Provides that a student member who serves on the Board of Higher Education or the Illinois Community College Board shall receive a scholarship award of $500 for each semester in which the student member is enrolled and serving.

Amends the School Code. Prohibits a district from charging tuition to non-resident pupils. Removes all other language regarding the tuition of non-resident pupils. Removes language regarding the application of provisions based on district population, hearings, and penalties related to non-resident pupil tuition. Removes language prohibiting certain transfers of students. Requires each school board to establish and implement a policy governing the transfer of non-resident students from outside of the school district to schools within the district. Makes other changes.

Amends the State Universities Civil Service Act. Provides that nothing in the Act or any rules adopted under the Act prevents the parties to a collective bargaining agreement from agreeing to a provision that enhances employee rights. Effective immediately.

Creates the Public University Direct Admission Program Act. Provides that, beginning with the 2027-2028 academic year, the Board of Higher Education, in collaboration with the Illinois Community College Board, the Illinois Student Assistance Commission, and the State Board of Education, shall establish and administer a direct admission program. Requires each public university in the direct admission program to identify and provide its grade point average standards for general admission for first time admission and for transfer students to the Illinois Student Assistance Commission by March 1 of each year. Provides that, beginning July 1, 2026 and each July 1 thereafter, the Illinois Student Assistance Commission shall use data collected from school districts to determine which students meet the standards for general admission and provide the data to the Board of Higher Education. Provides that, beginning with the 2027-2028 academic year, the Board of Higher Education, in collaboration with the Illinois Student Assistance Commission and the State Board of Education, shall develop, in consultation with the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a preselection outreach campaign to encourage qualifying State high school juniors and seniors to apply to the University of Illinois at Chicago or the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Requires the Board of Higher Education to submit a report on the direct admission program and the preselection outreach campaign to the Governor and General Assembly by August 1, 2029 and each August 1 thereafter. Amends the School Code. Requires a school board to provide access to high school student directory information and each student's email address and grade point average to the Illinois Student Assistance Commission, and each public institution of higher education for the purpose of informing students of educational and career opportunities.

Amends the Higher Education Student Assistance Act. Creates the Developmental Promise Program to remove barriers to enrollment, academic persistence, and certificate or degree completion for students who need to complete developmental coursework. Provides that, beginning in the 2026-2027 academic year, each institution of higher education in the State shall provide financial assistance to a qualifying student for the remaining balance of the student's total cost of attendance in excess of the amount of any private, State, or federal financial assistance received by the qualifying student during the first 132 semester credit hours or 198 quarter credit hours that the qualifying student is enrolled in the Developmental Assistance Program. Sets forth requirements for qualified students to receive the remaining balance of financial assistance. Requires the Illinois Student Assistance Commission and institutions of higher learning to adopt rules and policies for the administration of the Program.

Amends the University of Illinois Act. Provides that the Board of Trustees shall distribute the lump sum appropriated from the General Revenue Fund to each campus of the university in a given fiscal year on a per-student basis based on the previous academic year's enrollment at that campus, as reported to the Board of Higher Education.