Amends the School Code. Allows a school district, public school, charter school, or nonpublic school to authorize a school nurse or trained personnel to: (1) provide undesignated ready-to-use glucagon to authorized personnel to administer ready-to-use glucagon to a student that meets the student's prescription on file; (2) administer undesignated ready-to-use glucagon that meets the prescription on file to any student who has a plan that authorizes the use of ready-to-use glucagon; and (3) administer undesignated ready-to-use glucagon to any person that the school nurse or trained personnel believes in good faith is having a severe hypoglycemia emergency. Makes conforming changes regarding liability, where and when the undesignated ready-to-use glucagon may be administered, supply maintenance, notification of administration to the student's parent or guardian or emergency contact, training, and reports of administration to the State Board of Education, General Assembly, and Department of Public Health.
Amends the Courses of Study Article of the School Code. Provides that the school board of a school district that maintains any of grades 9 through 12 is authorized to adopt a policy under which a student enrolled in grade 7 or 8 who is enrolled in the unit school district or would be enrolled in the high school district upon completion of elementary school may enroll in a required high school course, provided that the course is offered by the high school that the student would attend and the student participates in the course where the student attends school as long as the course is taught by a teacher who holds a professional educator license and endorsed for the grade level and content area of the course (instead of just as long as the course is taught by a teacher who holds a professional educator license and endorsed for the grade level and content area of the course).
Amends the School Code. Provides that if the provider of the micro-credential or digital badge determines and can demonstrate that a student meets all of the criteria required to earn State Global Scholar Certification, then the school district or nonpublic school shall designate that the student has earned State Global Scholar Certification on the student's diploma and transcript.
Creates the Servicemember Education Rights Veneration Act. Requires institutions of higher education (institution) to accommodate service member student's academic military leave and grant prompt readmission when the service member student has not exceeded a cumulative academic military leave period beyond 5 years, provides advance notice of academic military leave to the institution, and provides notice of intent to return to the institution. Requires the institution to readmit a service member student on academic military leave into the next class, classes, or academic year division following the receipt of the notice of intent to return in accordance with the terms of the accommodation. Contains provisions on exemptions to readmission and related reporting requirements on service member students; investigations by the Attorney General's appointed ISERRA Advocate on whether a readmission exemption exists; and other matters. Requires service member students to provide advance notice of pending military service and prohibits institutions from imposing conditions for academic military leave not otherwise imposed under the Act. Contains provisions on military accommodation; academic obligations of service member students; reimbursement for school expenses; academic withdrawal due to military service; rejection of accommodation and the institution's burden of proof; a 5-year military service limitation; records documentation; advance notice requirements on service member students; notice of intent to return; anti-discrimination protections; academic leave for the spouses of servicemembers; Attorney General enforcement authority; remedies; rulemaking authority; and other matters.
Amends the Illinois Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Practice Act. Allows a speech-language pathologist to diagnose autism spectrum disorders if: (1) the child is under 3 years of age; and (2) the speech-language pathologist is trained in autism diagnostic evaluation methods as part of the curriculum of an approved program, through worksite training, or through continuing education. Provides that if a diagnosis requires a plan of care that includes elements that are outside the scope of practice of a speech-language pathologist, the speech-language pathologist must refer the patient to the appropriate medical personnel for further evaluation or management. Makes conforming changes in the Medical Assistance Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code, and provisions of the Illinois Insurance Code concerning autism spectrum disorders. Effective July 1, 2027.
Amends the Evaluation of Certified Employees Article of the School Code. Prohibits an evaluator from using an artificial intelligence tool to assign a numerical score or qualitative rating for any component of a teacher's evaluation or any evaluation task that requires professional judgment. However, allows an artificial intelligence tool to be used to support the evaluator in administrative tasks.
Amends the Educator Licensure Article of the School Code. Provides that a National Board certification-early childhood generalist endorsement on an Educator License with Stipulations may be issued to an applicant who holds a valid Early Childhood Generalist certificate issued by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Provides that the endorsement holder is deemed qualified and authorized to provide instruction in early childhood education programs and is deemed to meet or exceed all early childhood instructional competency requirements established by the State Board for pre-kindergarten instruction.
Amends the Downstate Teacher Article of the Illinois Pension Code. Provides that, through June 30, 2029 (instead of June 30, 2026), an annuitant may accept employment as a teacher without impairing his or her retirement status if that employment is not within the school year during which service was terminated and does not exceed 120 paid days or 600 paid hours in each school year, but not more than 100 paid days in the same classroom. Makes a conforming change. Effective immediately.
Amends the Charter Schools Law of the School Code. Provides that upon approval of a charter renewal by an authorizer, the charter operator shall execute the renewal agreement no later than 90 days after the date of the authorizer's final renewal approval. Provides that a charter school that is deemed nonrenewed is ineligible to receive any payments from a school district. Provides that a charter operator that fails to execute a renewal agreement within a specified period may not continue to operate the charter school beyond the expiration of the existing charter term and is subject to closure procedures. Requires every charter operator to maintain closure security. Provides that failure to maintain closure security is a basis for the authorizer to withhold a portion of per-pupil payments until compliance is achieved and for consideration in denying a charter renewal or revoking the charter or ineligibility to operate additional charter campuses. Provides that if the closure security is insufficient to cover the costs of a closure event, the authorizer or the State Board of Education may bring a civil action against the charter operator to recover the unpaid amounts and seek to impose a lien on any property owned by the charter operator to secure recovery. Provides that if an authorizer determines that a charter school is in financial distress, the authorizer may require the charter operator to submit a financial remediation plan within 30 days. Provides that if the authorizer determines that the charter school has failed to implement an approved remediation plan or the financial distress presents an immediate risk to students, employees, or public funds, the authorizer may initiate financial intervention by appointing an independent fiscal manager approved by the authorizer and the State Board. Allows the fiscal manager to exercise authority limited to financial matters. Provides that financial intervention is temporary and may not exceed 180 days, except that the authorizer may extend the intervention once for good cause. Makes other changes. Effective immediately.
Amends the Local Government Debt Reform Act. Provides that, in the case of bonds authorized to be issued under the School Code and approved by voters of Iroquois County Community Unit School District Number 9 in an April 2021 referendum, the bond approval, once obtained, remains for 10 years after the date of the referendum. Effective immediately.
