Education

Amends the State Treasurer Act. Changes the name of the "College Savings Pool" to the "College, Secondary, and Elementary Education Savings Pool". In provisions relating to the College, Secondary, and Elementary Education Savings Pool established by the State Treasurer pursuant to Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code, provides that an "eligible educational institution" includes elementary or secondary public, private, or religious schools and "qualified expenses" include expenses, up to $10,000 per taxable year, for tuition in connection with enrollment or attendance at an elementary or secondary public, private, or religious school. Amends the Deposit of State Moneys Act, Illinois Income Tax Act, the Code of Civil Procedure, and the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act to make conforming changes. Effective immediately.

Creates the Graduate Readiness and Development Act. Requires the State Board of Education to adopt rules and guidelines for an exit orientation program for grade 11 and 12 students to prepare the students to enter the workforce, obtain marketable skills, or enroll in higher education or military service. Requires the school board of each school district operating a high school to annually host an exit orientation program that complies with the rules and guidelines adopted by the State Board of Education under the Act. Provides that the school board shall permit representatives of labor organizations, military branches, workforce training providers, vocational training providers, local chambers of commerce, banks, and private businesses to present information on jobs, training, apprenticeships, internships, jobs requiring certification, and related topics to students during a high school's exit orientation program. Requires each Illinois workNet Center to ensure that the exit orientation program of each high school in its local area is aligned with the needs and opportunities of the local labor market and to provide the school board of the school district that operates the high school with information on local labor market needs and assist with coordinating participation in the program by local chambers of commerce, private businesses, and others.

Amends the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Law. Creates the High School and Area Vocational Center Grant Program. Provides that, subject to appropriation, the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity shall award grants to high schools, area vocational centers, and area career centers for the instruction and training of preapprenticeship students in the clean energy industry and the construction industry. Lists purposes for the Program. Requires the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to adopt rules.

Amends the Public Higher Education Act. Prohibits a school from threatening to disclose the actual or perceived citizenship or immigration status of an employee, a student, or a person associated with an employee or student to an external party; knowingly disclosing, without consent, anything related to the perceived citizenship or immigration status of an employee, a student, or a person associated with an employee or student to an external party if the school does not have direct knowledge of the employee's, student's, or associated person's actual citizenship or immigration status; knowingly disclosing, without consent, anything related to the actual citizenship or immigration status of an employee, a student, or a person associated with an employee or student to any other person or nongovernmental entity if the school has direct knowledge of the employee's, student's, or associated person's actual citizenship or immigration status; or designating immigration status, citizenship, place of birth, nationality, or national origin as directory information. Requires a school to develop procedures for reviewing and authorizing requests from law enforcement agents attempting to enter a school's campus by January 1, 2026. Requires a school to provide information on its website about who employees and students should contact if a law enforcement agent seeks to enter the school campus, enters the school campus, or engages in nonconsensual interactions with members of the school community by January 1, 2026. Prohibits a school from impeding students or employees from offering, attending, or participating in training on constitutional rights and immigration-related guidance. Allows aggrieved parties to bring a civil lawsuit. Makes other changes. Effective immediately.

HB 1944 appropriates $2 from the state's General Revenue Fund to the Board of Higher Education. This funding is designated for the Board's ordinary operating and contingent expenses for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025.

Amends the Board of Higher Education Act. Provides that, subject to appropriation, the Board of Higher Education shall award a grant to a statewide association of public pension funds affiliated with a public institution of higher education to develop and deliver an in-person financial literacy training program for public employees. Provides that the program shall consist of in-person training regarding retirement income, including pension benefits, Social Security benefits, and employer-sponsored deferred compensation and retiree healthcare savings plans and shall also include instruction in financial planning and important elements of consumer finance, such as debt, educational savings, budgeting, and related subjects. Provides that the program shall include recorded programs to assist public employees who work on nontraditional shift assignments.

Amends the Nurse Practice Act. Provides that an individual licensed under this Section may apply for a program that provides a full tuition reimbursement to individuals who: (1) attended and graduated from an education program based in the State; and (2) commit to working in a safety-net hospital in the State for at least 5 years.

Amends the Public Higher Education Act. Provides that, beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, each public institution of higher education with student health services shall provide enrolled students with access to health care professionals authorized under State law to prescribe contraception. Provides that, beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, if the public institution of higher education's student health services includes a pharmacy, the pharmacy on campus shall dispense contraception to enrolled students who wish to fill their prescriptions at the university pharmacy. Provides that, beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, each public institution of higher education with student health services shall provide enrolled students with access to health care professionals authorized under State law to prescribe medication abortion. Provides that a public institution of higher education that dispenses medication abortion from the university pharmacy shall enter into a referral agreement with a tertiary care facility with obstetrics and gynecological services in the event of complication from medication abortion or suspected complicated pregnancy prior to dispensing medication abortion. Requires each public institution of higher education to report annually to the Board of Higher Education that policies under the provisions have been adopted. Requires the Board to post to its website annually each public institution of higher education's compliance with the policies under the provisions. Effective immediately.

Creates the Inclusive History Act. Establishes the Inclusive History Commission to (i) address the deficiencies and inadequacies in both perspective and content in traditional history course material and instruction and (ii) develop multiperspective, inclusive, and comprehensive standards that a school may use as a guide in replacing or developing its curricula for history education. Sets forth the membership of the Commission. Contains provisions concerning meetings, duties, and reporting. Repeals the provisions on December 31, 2026. Amends the Courses of Study Article of the School Code. Beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, requires schools to suspend all instruction in history education, with exceptions. Not later than June 30, 2026, requires the State Superintendent of Education to provide to schools instructional guidelines and standards based on the recommendations of the Commission so that schools may develop alternative curricula to replace traditional course material and instruction to ensure that students obtain a multiperspective, inclusive, and comprehensive understanding about history. Provides that beginning with the 2026-2027 school year, schools shall resume instruction in history, which shall require the use of age-appropriate discussion, textbooks, and other course material that reframe the study of history by presenting to students an examination of history through the inclusion of diverse perspectives, contrary interpretations, and the viewpoints of various groups of people whose voices have traditionally been excluded from the conventional teaching of history. Effective immediately.

Amends the Children with Disabilities Article of the School Code. With respect to identification, evaluation, and placement, provides that, beginning no later than the first annual review meeting after a child turns 13 years of age, the individualized education program (IEP) team shall determine at each annual review meeting whether it would be appropriate for the child to participate in IEP meetings with the child's IEP team.