Education (School Transportation)

Encourages all public school districts serving grades 6 through 12 to develop a plan to adopt school start times that reflect the biological sleep needs of adolescents.

Amends the Children with Disabilities Article of the School Code. Requires each school district to provide transportation to all students with an Individualized Education Program, based solely on the student's eligibility for special education. Provides that the transportation shall be provided at no cost and is presumed necessary for a free appropriate public education. Provides that the type, method, route, and accommodations for transportation shall be individualized to the student's needs. Sets forth how mileage shall be determined and verified. Requires school districts to maintain mileage records, provide the mileage records to parents or guardians within 10 business days of request, and include the mileage records in the student's educational record. Establishes transportation restrictions for school districts. Allows parents or guardians to seek relief for the failure to provide transportation as a denial of a free appropriate public education. Allows the State Board of Education to adopt rules to implement the provisions. Effective July 1, 2026.

Appropriates $1,211,674,900 to the State Board of Education for disabled student transportation reimbursements, disabled student tuition and private tuition, and regular and vocational common school transportation reimbursements. Effective July 1, 2026.

Amends the Transportation Article of the School Code. Provides that the allowable direct cost of transporting pupils for regular, vocational, and special education pupil transportation shall be limited to, among other costs, expenditures to electrification-as-a-service contractors that provide electric school buses or a combination of electric vehicle charging infrastructure, equipment, or daily charge management services, plus a depreciation allowance of 8.33% for 12 years for electric school buses and vehicles approved for transporting pupils to and from school.

Amends the Transportation Article of the School Code. Requires the school boards of certain school districts to provide free transportation for pupils residing at a distance of 1/2 mile or more from the school to which they are assigned for attendance if the school is located completely or partially within or directly adjacent to an R3 zone, as designated by the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority, and is outside of a county with a population of 3,000,000 or more residents, except for those pupils for whom adequate transportation for the public is available.

Amends the Transportation Article of the School Code. Provides that each school board may provide free transportation for any pupil residing within a one-half mile (rather than one and one-half miles) from the school attended where conditions are such that walking, either to or from the school to which a pupil is assigned for attendance or to or from a pick-up point or bus stop, constitutes a serious hazard to the safety of the pupil due to either vehicular traffic or rail crossings or a course or pattern of criminal activity.

Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides that a multifunction school-activity bus may additionally be used for transportation to a college, university, student job site developed through a partnership with the school, a college or career fair, or an experience that the school determines will contribute to a student's college or career readiness. Amends the School Code to make conforming changes and to provide that a student in any of grades 7 through 12 (instead of grades 9 through 12) may be transported in a multifunction school-activity bus for specified purposes.

Amends the School Code. Provides that, subject to appropriation, beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, the State Board of Education shall award grant money in the form of a voucher of $125,000 to a school district that submits a grant application to the State Board to be applied on the total purchase price of an electric school bus to effectively lower the purchase price of the electric school bus to the school district. Sets forth eligibility requirements for a school district to receive a grant. Provides that the State Board of Education shall annually disseminate a request for applications for grants towards the purchase of a electric school bus grant and applications shall be accepted on an annual basis. Provides that if the appropriation for grants under this Section for a given fiscal year is less than the amount required to fund all applications for grants, the State Board of Education shall give priority to school districts designated as Tier 1 or Tier 2 that do not have any electric school buses. Sets forth the application requirements. Allows the State Board of Education to adopt any rules necessary for the implementation of the provisions. Effective immediately.

Appropriates $1,306,000,000 to the State Board of Education for disabled student transportation reimbursements, disabled student tuition and private tuition, and regular and vocational common school transportation reimbursements. Effective July 1, 2025.