Declares April 18, 2025 as Lineworker Appreciation Day in the State of Illinois. Urges all Illinoisans to join the Senate in applauding the hard work, dedication, and bravery of the State's lineworkers.
Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Provides that certain forms of false personation may be accomplished by artificial intelligence. Defines "artificial intelligence".
Amends the School Code. Requires the State Board of Education to establish the State Instructional Technology Advisory Board, which shall collaborate with the State Board of Education to provide guidance, integration, oversight, and evaluation of education technologies, including, but not limited to, artificial intelligence technologies. Sets forth the membership of the Advisory Board and terms. Requires the State Board, with the Advisory Board, to develop standards concerning safety, transparency, data privacy, and educational quality for any artificial intelligence technology that may be used in schools and develop guidance for school districts and educators on the use of artificial intelligence in education. Requires the annual school district report to the State Board regarding educational technology capacity and policies to include student, teacher, and district use of artificial intelligence. 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 Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides that a vehicle or combination of vehicles operated by an engine fueled wholly or partially by an electric battery or hydrogen fuel cell electric fueling system may exceed the posted weight limits by up to 2,000 pounds.
Amends the School Code. Expands the definitions of "isolated time out" or "time out", "physical restraint" or "restraint", and "time out". Removes exceptions to the prohibition of prone restraint. Removes language providing that the parents or guardian of a student and the State Superintendent of Education shall be informed whenever isolated time out, time out, or physical restraint is used. Establishes complaint procedures to replace the complaint procedures set forth in the State Board of Education's rules. Provides that staff members responsible for implementing isolated time out, time out, or physical restraint must be trained in accordance with the system of non-violent intervention adopted by the school district and must be trained at least once every 2 years in a session that is not less than 6 hours. Requires the State Board to convene a group of stakeholders to annually review: (1) data associated with the use of physical restraint, time out, and isolated time out, and efforts made by public entities to reduce these practices; (2) strategies to reduce physical restraint, time out, and isolated time out; (3) decisions made by the State Board related to physical restraint, time out, and isolated time out; (4) student behavior and behavioral interventions that can be use as an alternative to physical restraint, time out, and isolated time out; and (5) professional development needed for public entities in behavioral interventions to ensure the proper use of physical restraint, time out, and isolated time out. Makes other changes.
Amends the School Code. In a provision concerning teacher evaluation plans, provides that for teachers not in contractual continued service who participate in a new teacher induction and mentoring program established by the school district in which they are employed, non-evaluative mentor observation and feedback may be used in place of one evaluation observation.
Amends the Civic Center Code. Provides that all contracts for the sale of property of the value of more than the small purchase maximum under the Illinois Procurement Code (rather than $10,000) shall be awarded to the highest responsible bidder, after advertising for bids. Provides that all construction contracts and contracts for supplies, materials, equipment and services, when the expense thereof will exceed the small purchase maximum under the Illinois Procurement Code (rather than $10,000), shall be let to the lowest responsible bidder, after advertising for bids except for specified circumstances. Makes conforming changes. Effective immediately.
Amends the School Code. In provisions concerning a school board's suspension or expulsion of pupils, provides that a student who is determined to have committed sexual violence, sexual assault, or sexual activity with an individual without the individual's consent at a school, a school-sponsored activity or event, or any activity or event that bears a reasonable relationship to school shall be expelled for a period of not less than one year. Effective immediately.
Declares March 25, 2025 as Equal Pay Day in the State of Illinois. Encourages the citizens of this State to learn about the pay gap that women experience in society and to learn about these various dates that bring attention to the pay gap that specific groups experience.
