§ 26A-15

Illinois § 26A-15

• Jurisdiction: Illinois
• Topic: EDUCATION
• Ch. 105: SCHOOLS
• Act 105 ILCS 5/: School Code.
• Art.: Article 26A - Children and Students Who Are Parents, Expectant Parents, or Victims of Domestic or Sexual Violence

Text

(Section scheduled to be repealed on December 1, 2025) Sec. 26A-15. Ensuring Success in School Task Force. (a) The Ensuring Success in School Task Force is created to draft and publish model policies and intergovernmental agreements for inter-district transfers; draft and publish model complaint resolution procedures as required in subsection (c) of Section 26A-25; identify current mandatory educator and staff training and additional new trainings needed to meet the requirements as required in Section 26A-25 and Section 26A-35. These recommended policies and agreements shall be survivor-centered and rooted in trauma-informed responses and used to support all students, from pre-kindergarten through grade 12, who are survivors of domestic or sexual violence, regardless of whether the perpetrator is school-related or not, or who are parenting or pregnant, regardless of whether the school is a public school, nonpublic school, or charter school. (b) The Task Force shall be representative of the geographic, racial, ethnic, sexual orientation, gender identity, and cultural diversity of this State. The Task Force shall consist of all of the following members, who must be appointed no later than 60 days after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 102nd General Assembly: (1) One Representative appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives. (2) One Representative appointed by the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives. (3) One Senator appointed by the President of the Senate. (4) One Senator appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate. (5) One member who represents a State-based organization that advocates for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people appointed by the State Superintendent of Education. (6) One member who represents a State-based, nonprofit, nongovernmental organization that advocates for survivors of domestic violence appointed by the State Superintendent of Education. (7) One member who represents a statewide, nonprofit, nongovernmental organization that advocates for survivors of sexual violence appointed by the State Superintendent of Education. (8) One member who represents a statewide, nonprofit, nongovernmental organization that offers free legal services, including victim's rights representation, to survivors of domestic violence or sexual violence appointed by the State Superintendent of Education. (9) One member who represents an organization that advocates for pregnant or parenting youth appointed by the State Superintendent of Education. (10) One member who represents a youth-led organization with expertise in domestic and sexual violence appointed by the State Superintendent of Education. (11) One member who represents the Children's Advocacy Centers of Illinois appointed by the State Superintendent of Education. (12) One representative of the State Board of Education appointed by the State Superintendent of Education. (13) One member who represents a statewide organization of social workers appointed by the State Superintendent of Education. (14) One member who represents a statewide organization for school psychologists appointed by the State Superintendent of Education. (15) One member who represents a statewide organization of school counselors appointed by the State Superintendent of Education. (16) One member who represents a statewide professional teachers' organization appointed by the State Superintendent of Education. (17) One member who represents a different statewide professional teachers' organization appointed by the State Superintendent of Education. (18) One member who represents a statewide organization for school boards appointed by the State Superintendent of Education. (19) One member who represents a statewide organization for school principals appointed by the State Superintendent of Education. (20) One member who represents a school district organized under Article 34 appointed by the State Superintendent of Education. (21) One member who represents an association representing rural school superintendents appointed by the State Superintendent of Education. (c) The Task Force shall first meet at the call of the State Superintendent of Education, and each subsequent meeting shall be called by the chairperson, who shall be designated by the State Superintendent of Education. The State Board of Education shall provide administrative and other support to the Task Force. Members of the Task Force shall serve without compensation. (d) On or before June 30, 2024, the Task Force shall report its work, including model policies, guidance recommendations, and agreements, to the Governor and the General Assembly. The report must include all of the following: (1) Model school and district policies to facilitate inter-district transfers for student survivors of domestic or sexual violence, expectant parents, and parents. These policies shall place high value on being accessible and expeditious for student survivors and pregnant and parenting students. (2) Model school and district policies to ensure confidentiality and privacy considerations for student survivors of domestic or sexual violence, expectant parents, and parents. These policies must include guidance regarding appropriate referrals for nonschool-based services. (3) Model school and district complaint resolution procedures as prescribed by Section 26A-25. (4) Guidance for schools and districts regarding which mandatory training that is currently required for educator licenses or under State or federal law would be suitable to fulfill training requirements for resource personnel as prescribed by Section 26A-35 and for the staff tasked with implementing the complaint resolution procedure as prescribed by Section 26A-25. The guidance shall evaluate all relevant mandatory or recommended training, including, but not limited to, the training required under subsection (j) of Section 4 of the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act, Sections 3-11, 10-23.12, 10-23.13, and 22-110 of this Code, and subsections (d) and (f) of Section 10-22.39 of this Code. The guidance must also identify what gaps in training exist, including, but not limited to, training on trauma-informed responses and racial and gender equity, and make recommendations for future training programs that should be required or recommended for the positions as prescribed by Sections 26A-25 and 26A-35. (e) The Task Force is dissolved upon submission of its report under subsection (d). (f) This Section is repealed on December 1, 2025.

Legislative History

(Source: P.A. 104-391, eff. 8-15-25.)