Education

Expresses strong support for the continued offering and expansion of night courses and programs at Illinois colleges and universities. Urges higher education institutions and governing bodies to prioritize and protect night programs from budgetary cuts or elimination.

Amends the School Code. Provides that the State Board of Education shall establish a teacher recruitment and retention program, which shall encourage both new and experienced teachers to seek employment with qualifying public schools by providing for a refundable income tax credit to each participating teacher in the amount of $3,000 per school year for no more than 5 consecutive school years. Provides that the number of participating teachers in the program in any school year shall be limited to 1,000. Contains requirements for participating school districts and participating teachers. Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act establishing the $3,000 tax credit for individuals designated by the State Board of Education as a participating teacher in the teacher recruitment and retention program. Effective July 1, 2025.

Amends the School Code. Creates the Career and Technical Education Task Force to review career and technical education programming and policy and make recommendations to ensure all students have access to high quality, globally competitive career and technical educational programs. Sets forth members, compensation, meetings, and administrative staff. Requires the Task Force to prepare and deliver to the State Board of Education and the General Assembly a report covering the Task Force's findings. Dissolves the Task Force on January 1, 2027. Effective immediately.

Amends the School Code. Requires a school board to adopt and implement, by no later than July 1, 2025, a policy addressing sexual abuse, physical abuse, and neglect of children. Amends the Critical Health Problems and Comprehensive Health Education Act. Requires that the comprehensive health education program shall include physical abuse or neglect awareness and prevention education in grades pre-kindergarten through 12. Effective immediately.

Amends the School Code. Prohibits a child from being denied a free public education through secondary school while in the State based on the child's or associated person's perceived or actual citizenship or immigration status. Prohibits a school from excluding a child, or associated person, from participation in or denying a child, or associated person, the benefits of any program or activity on the grounds of that child's, or associated person's, actual or perceived citizenship or immigration status. Provides that a school must not use criteria, measures, or methods of administration that have the effect of excluding from participation or denying the benefits of any program or activity because of a child's, or associated person's, actual or perceived immigration status. Prohibits a school from threatening to disclose information regarding or relating to the actual or perceived citizenship or immigration status of a child, or associated person, or actually disclosing information based on perceived or unverified citizenship or immigration status, to any other person, entity, or any immigration or law enforcement agency. Provides that a school must not allow an immigration agent to enter a school site or school district facility for any purpose without providing valid identification, a written statement of purpose, and a valid judicial warrant, and, to the extent possible, receiving approval from the superintendent of the school district or the principal of the charter school, and their legal counsel. Provides that a school district or school must not detain any individual solely on the basis of any formal or informal request, or immigration detainer or civil immigration warrant from an immigration agent. Requires a school district or school to adopt a policy for complying with the amendatory Act. Allows any party aggrieved by a violation of the provisions to bring a civil lawsuit no later than 2 years after the violation occurred. Provides that if the court finds that a violation has occurred, the court may award to the plaintiff 3 times actual damages or $17,000, whichever is greater. Makes other changes.

Urges the Illinois State Board of Education to initiate and complete a research study to examine the application and use of the Danielson Framework for Teaching, including ways to confront ideological barriers to socially just teacher performance evaluation. Urges the Illinois State Board of Education to deliver this report to the legislature by June 30, 2026.

SB 261 reenacts and makes permanent Illinois' Invest in Kids Act, which provides tax credits to Illinois taxpayers who contribute to scholarship granting organizations (SGOs). The bill directly affects Illinois taxpayers who make qualified contributions to SGOs, allowing them to claim a tax credit equal to their contribution. These contributions fund scholarships for eligible students from households with incomes up to 300% of the federal poverty level (rising to 400% after receiving a scholarship), who attend qualified non-public schools in Illinois. The legislation amends the Illinois Income Tax Act to make these tax credit provisions permanent, replacing a temporary program set to expire in 2025.

Amends the School Code. Provides that a school board of a school district with 275,000 students or more shall prohibit any school of the district that has selective admission requirements from requiring a student in a pre-kindergarten program of the district to take a standardized test in order to be admitted to that school. Effective immediately.

Amends the Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness Act. In provisions concerning postsecondary and career expectations, provides that, beginning in grade 6, students should be introduced to the importance of developing and applying a work ethic in a variety of contexts; sets forth what this introduction may include.

HB 3147 reenacts and makes permanent Illinois' Invest in Kids Act, a tax credit program for education scholarships. It allows Illinois taxpayers to claim a credit on their state income tax for contributions to approved scholarship-granting organizations, which then provide funds to cover "necessary costs and fees" for eligible low-income students attending non-public schools. The program targets students from households earning under 300% of the federal poverty level (rising to 400% after receiving a scholarship), with specific focus on career-focused technical academies. The bill permanently extends this tax credit mechanism, which was previously set to expire, and amends tax code provisions to reflect the permanent status.