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.
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 Public Community College Act. Provides that the board of trustees of a community college district shall require the primary instructor of a course to meet specified qualifications set forth in the Illinois Administrative Code and any other applicable rules adopted by the Illinois Community College Board. Provides that a course may not, in lieu of a primary instructor, use artificial intelligence or a generative artificial intelligence program.
Amends the Holocaust and Genocide Commission Act to make changes concerning Commission members. Amends the School Code. Provides that the State Board of Education shall have departments (rather than divisions) within the State Board. Makes changes concerning block grants for Chicago. Removes language encouraging the State Superintendent of Education to establish a program of academic credit for Tech Prep work-based learning for secondary school students with an interest in pursuing such career training. With respect to a school district's required account audit, provides that the auditing firm for each school district shall file with the State Board the Annual Financial Report no later than February 15 following the end of each fiscal year and makes other changes. With respect to a school financial condition statement, removes language providing that any district from which a report is not received when required shall have its portion of the distributive fund withheld for the next ensuing year until the report is filed and makes other changes. Makes changes concerning a statement of affairs and a report on contracts. Removes language providing for enrollment of an English learner in a program in transitional bilingual education for a period of 3 years. Repeals provisions concerning: the Mathematics and Science Block Grant Program Article; rewards; the Reading Improvement Block Grant Program; the Continued Reading Improvement Block Grant Program; the School STEAM Grant Program; and civic education advancement. Makes conforming and other changes in the School Code and the Bikeway Act. Repeals the Illinois Summer School for the Arts Act and the Interagency Board for Children who are Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing and have an Emotional or Behavioral Disorder Act.
Amends the Student Investment Account Act. Allows the State Treasurer to originate, guarantee, acquire, and service refinance loans; invest in, and enter into contracts with, institutions that provide refinance loans; deposit funds with financial institutions that provide refinance loans; establish specific criteria governing the eligibility of entities to participate in the making of refinance loans; charge and collect premiums for insurance on refinance loans; and deduct from a State employee's salary, wages, commissions, and bonuses the recovery of a refinance loan debt. Removes language allowing the State Treasurer to: enter into income share agreements with participants, facilitate income share agreements between participants and eligible income share agreement providers, and perform other acts as may be necessary or desirable in connection with income share agreements; enter into contracts and guarantee agreements as necessary to operate the Student Investment Account with income share agreement providers or qualified income share agreement organizations; establish specific criteria governing the eligibility of entities to participate in the making of income share agreements; pay income share agreement providers or qualified income share agreement organizations an administrative fee in connection with services provided pursuant to the Student Investment Account; charge and collect premiums for insurance on income share agreements; and deduct from a State employee's salary, wages, commissions, and bonuses the recovery of an income share agreement. Allows (rather than requires) the State Treasurer to establish fees to cover the costs of administration, recordkeeping, marketing, and investment management related to the Student Investment Account. Removes language allowing moneys in the Student Investment Account Assistance Fund to be used to provide assistance to income share agreement participants. Makes conforming changes.
Amends the School Code. Provides that, no Later than July 1, 2026, the State Board of Education shall create educational materials that shall be posted publicly on its website and distributed to all school districts in the State that serve any grades kindergarten through 8 on the implementation of American Sign Language instruction into a school's curriculum. Includes a list of educational materials. Allows the State Board to receive assistance from outside organizations, State agencies, or individuals with expertise in American Sign Language that the State Board deems appropriate to assist with the creation of the education materials.
Amends the School Code. Removes language providing that a local program for the education of gifted and talented children may be approved for funding by the State Board of Education if funds for that purpose are available and if the local program submits an application for funds that includes a comprehensive plan. Removes language providing that the State Board of Education staff person in charge of educational programs for gifted and talented children shall be responsible for developing an approval process for educational programs for gifted and talented children. With respect to the evidence-based funding provisions, provides that in the adequacy target calculation, each organizational unit shall receive $40 per kindergarten through grade 12 for advanced academic programs (rather than for gifted investments). Makes related changes.
Amends the School Code. In a provision regarding an optional alternative evaluative dismissal process for teacher evaluations, removes the definition of and references to "student growth components". Makes the following changes in the Evaluation of Certified Employees Article: Removes the definitions of and references to "implementation date", "Race to the Top Grant", and "School Improvement Grant". Provides that, beginning July 1, 2025, each school district may incorporate the use of data and indicators on student growth as a factor in rating teaching performance into its evaluation plan for all teachers in contractual continued service and teachers not in contractual continued service (now, a school district is required to incorporate student growth data and indicators as a significant factor). Makes other changes concerning student growth. Changes the components of an evaluation plan for a teacher's performance. Makes changes concerning a principal's or assistant principal's evaluation. With respect to the types of rules the State Board of Education may adopt, removes the inclusion of rules that (i) define the term "significant" factor" for purposes of including consideration of student growth in performance ratings and (ii) establish a model evaluation plan for use by school districts in which student growth shall comprise 50% of the performance rating. Allows a school district (rather than only a school district with 500,000 or more inhabitants) to use an annual State assessment as a measure of student growth for purposes of teacher or principal evaluations. Removes and changes outdated provisions. Makes other and conforming changes. Effective July 1, 2025.
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 School Code. Provides that, beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, the required support regarding the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) shall include providing time during the school day, not requiring a student to be excused from regularly scheduled class time, to complete or receive help with completion of a financial aid application. Effective immediately.
