Education

House Resolution 62 urges the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) to expand its partnerships with more countries. The purpose of these expanded partnerships is to recruit additional educators for the Visiting International Teachers Program.

SB 1419 appropriates $67 million to the State Board of Education. These funds are designated to cover costs associated with the Healthy School Meals for All Program. The bill is set to take effect on July 1, 2025.

Creates the Mental Health Professional Career Scholarship Act. Requires the Illinois Student Assistance Commission to create the Mental Health Professional Career Scholarship Program to award scholarships to Illinois students pursuing a mental health professional career in order to increase diversity rates by recruiting individuals to work in mental health fields in the public sector or mental health jobs that have a high demand for new employees and retain those individuals. Sets forth provisions concerning the selection of recipients, the amount of assistance, applications for assistance, the payment of assistance, administering the scholarship program, and rulemaking.

Amends the Speech Rights of Student Journalists Act. Provides that any student or student media adviser may institute proceedings for injunctive or declaratory relief in any court of competent jurisdiction to enforce the rights to free speech or free press. Provides that nothing shall be construed to create any private action on behalf of a student other than to seek injunctive relief allowing the publication of the speech in question. Allows a court to award reasonable attorney's fees to a plaintiff that substantially prevails.

Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Provides that a taxpayer who may claim a qualifying student as a dependent is allowed a credit of up to $2,000 for qualified tuition and fee expenses paid by the taxpayer. Provides that the term qualifying student means a person who (i) is a resident of the State, (ii) is under the age of 24 at the close of the school year for which a credit is sought, and (iii) during the school year for which a credit is sought, is a full-time student enrolled in a program at a qualifying college or university. Effective immediately.

Amends the Educator License Article of the School Code. Provides that if an assessment is determined to be non-uniform, a provisional in-state educator endorsement on an Educator License with Stipulations may be issued to a candidate who has completed an Illinois-approved educator preparation program at an Illinois institution of higher education and who has not successfully completed an applicable content area test but who meets certain requirements, which is valid for one full fiscal year after the date of issuance and may not be renewed. Provides that the process by which the State Board of Education evaluates content area tests to determine content validity, absence of bias, or scores required to pass shall be public information and is available on the website of the State Board. Requires the State Board to evaluate each content area test after it has been administered for at least 10 months, but not more than 12 months, and shall determine whether a content test is non-uniform. Provides that an assessment first introduced prior to January 1, 2017 shall be considered uniform, and an assessment introduced on or after January 1, 2017 that does not meet specified criteria shall be considered uniform. Provides that if the State Board finds that the content area test forms available as of January 1, 2025 are not uniform in the level of difficulty as compared to previous forms of those exams, any candidate for licensure who attempted any content area test in the form that was available as of January 1, 2025, and whose best scores in each subsection of the same content area exam, taken across multiple attempts on the same form of the exam, equal or exceed the passing score for that content area exam as of January 1, 2025, shall be determined to have passed that content area exam.

Amends the Higher Education Student Assistance Act. Provides that the Illinois Student Assistance Commission shall establish, implement, and administer a STEM Opportunity Scholarship Program, using funds appropriated from the STEM Opportunity Scholarship Program Fund, for the purpose of offering scholarships to young women pursuing degrees in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics at public universities in this State. Sets forth provisions concerning eligibility, preference and priority, the assistance awarded, funding, and rulemaking. Creates the STEM Opportunity Scholarship Program Fund as a special fund in the State treasury. Makes a corresponding change in the State Finance Act.

Amends the Children with Disabilities Article of the School Code. Requires the State Board of Education to provide regulatory guidance to relevant stakeholders regarding individualized education program evaluations.

Amends the Courses of Study Article of the School Code. Repeals provisions regarding disability history and awareness. Provides instead that, beginning with the 2027-2028 school year, every public elementary school and high school shall include in its curriculum a unit of instruction studying disability history and culture. Requires the State Board of Education to prepare and make available to all school boards instructional materials, some of which must be used in the unit of instruction and others of which may be used as guidelines for development of a unit of instruction. Provides that the minimum amount of instructional time that qualifies as a unit of instruction is one hour and the minimum required cumulative total instructional time through grades kindergarten through 12 is 10 hours. Requires the regional superintendent of schools to monitor a school district's compliance with the curricular requirements during his or her annual compliance visit. Sets forth requirements concerning the unit of instruction. Provides for what the instruction, study, and discussion in grades kindergarten through 5 may include and what the instruction, study, and discussion in grades 6 through 12 shall include. Provides for collaboration.

Amends the Children with Disabilities Article of the School Code. Adds the Secretary of Early Childhood or his or her designee as a member of the Advisory Council on the Education of Children with Disabilities. Provides that the Council shall establish a committee charged with ensuring that all children aged 3 to 5 with disabilities have access to high-quality, inclusive, early-childhood services, provided in the least restrictive environment, across all early learning settings. Effective immediately.