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1 | | HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION
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2 | | WHEREAS, Nearly 32,000 kindergarten through 8th grade |
3 | | students in City of Chicago School District 299 missed 4 weeks |
4 | | or more of class in the 2010-2011 school year; and
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5 | | WHEREAS, Absenteeism in the elementary grades is |
6 | | particularly severe in African-American communities on the |
7 | | south and west sides of Chicago, which are marked by gang |
8 | | violence, unemployment, and poverty; and
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9 | | WHEREAS, More than 20% of black elementary school students |
10 | | missed at least 4 weeks of school in the 2010-2011 school year, |
11 | | compared to 7% of whites and 8% of Hispanics; and
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12 | | WHEREAS, Forty-two percent of kindergarten through 8th |
13 | | grade students with a disability or impairment missed 4 weeks |
14 | | of classes in the same school year, compared to 12% of students |
15 | | without a disability; and
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16 | | WHEREAS, Nineteen percent of kindergarteners were |
17 | | officially listed as chronic truants because they accumulated 9 |
18 | | or more days of unexcused absences; therefore, be it
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19 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE |
20 | | NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE |
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1 | | SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that there is created the Truancy in |
2 | | Chicago Public Schools Task Force, consisting of all of the |
3 | | following members:
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4 | | (1) The Governor or his or her designee; |
5 | | (2) 1 member of the General Assembly, appointed by the |
6 | | President of the Senate; |
7 | | (3) 1 member of the General Assembly, appointed by the |
8 | | Minority Leader of the Senate; |
9 | | (4) 1 member of the General Assembly, appointed by the |
10 | | Speaker of the House of Representatives; |
11 | | (5) 1 member of the General Assembly, appointed by the |
12 | | Minority Leader of the House of Representatives; |
13 | | (6) 1 representative from the Department of Children |
14 | | and Family Services, appointed by the Director of Children |
15 | | and Family Services; |
16 | | (7) 1 representative from the State Board of Education, |
17 | | appointed by the Chairperson of the State Board of |
18 | | Education; |
19 | | (8) 1 representative from the Board of Higher |
20 | | Education, appointed by the Chairperson of the Board of |
21 | | Higher Education; |
22 | | (9) 1 representative from the Department of Human |
23 | | Services, appointed by the Secretary of Human Services; |
24 | | (10) 1 representative from the Department of |
25 | | Corrections, appointed by the Director of Corrections; |
26 | | (11) 1 representative from the Department of Juvenile |
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1 | | Justice, appointed by the Director of Juvenile Justice; |
2 | | (12) 1 representative from the Chicago Police |
3 | | Department, appointed by the Superintendent of Police; |
4 | | (13) the Mayor of the City of Chicago or his or her |
5 | | designee; |
6 | | (14) the Chief Executive Officer of City of Chicago |
7 | | School District 299 or his or her designee; |
8 | | (15) 1 representative from an authority on housing in |
9 | | the City of Chicago, appointed by the head of that |
10 | | authority; |
11 | | (16) 1 representative from a professional teachers' |
12 | | organization representing teachers in City of Chicago |
13 | | School District 299, appointed by the head of that |
14 | | organization; |
15 | | (17) 1 representative from an organization that |
16 | | provides the tools for each individual to overcome the root |
17 | | causes of homelessness through a holistic, scalable model, |
18 | | appointed by the head of that organization; |
19 | | (18) 1 representative from a private, not-for-profit |
20 | | organization whose mission is to stimulate and encourage |
21 | | the growth of the area's economy and its ability to provide |
22 | | for its people, appointed by the head of that organization; |
23 | | (19) 1 representative from the Office of the Secretary |
24 | | of State, appointed by the Secretary of State; |
25 | | (20) 1 representative from an organization in the City |
26 | | of Chicago dealing with children's disabilities, |
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1 | | impairments, and social emotional issues, appointed by the |
2 | | head of that organization; |
3 | | (21) 1 representative from a coalition for the homeless |
4 | | in the City of Chicago, appointed by the head of that |
5 | | organization; |
6 | | (22) 1 representative from the Office of the Cook |
7 | | County Sheriff, appointed by the Cook County Sheriff; |
8 | | (23) 4 chiefs of City of Chicago School District 299 |
9 | | from different areas of the city, appointed by the Chief |
10 | | Executive Office of City of Chicago School District 299; |
11 | | (24) 4 public members, including a representative of a |
12 | | community-based organization serving school-age children, |
13 | | appointed by the Governor, and 3 public members |
14 | | representing the interests of child welfare advocates, |
15 | | education personnel, community-based organizations, |
16 | | faith-based institutions, criminal justice advocates, |
17 | | parents and guardians, and students (regardless of their |
18 | | ability, disability, advanced ability, or twice |
19 | | exceptionality), appointed by the Governor; |
20 | | (25) 1 member from an organization representing |
21 | | charter schools, appointed by the head of that |
22 | | organization; and |
23 | | (26) 1 representative of each public university in this |
24 | | State, appointed by the president of each of those |
25 | | universities; and be it further |
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1 | | RESOLVED, That the task force shall meet initially at the |
2 | | call of the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the |
3 | | President of the Senate and that members of the task force |
4 | | shall select a chairperson at the initial meeting and shall |
5 | | thereafter meet at the call of the chairperson; and be it |
6 | | further
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7 | | RESOLVED, That the State Board of Education shall provide |
8 | | staff and administrative support to the Task Force; and be it |
9 | | further |
10 | | RESOLVED, That the members of the Task Force shall be |
11 | | reimbursed for their travel expenses from appropriations to the |
12 | | State Board of Education available for that purpose and subject |
13 | | to the rules of the appropriate travel control board; and be it |
14 | | further |
15 | | RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall examine issues and make |
16 | | recommendations related to current State Board of Education and |
17 | | City of Chicago School District 299 policies regarding truancy |
18 | | and excessive absences; and be it further |
19 | | RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall identify different |
20 | | strategies and approaches to help educators and the City of |
21 | | Chicago School District 299 administration address the truancy |
22 | | and excessive absences epidemic in the City of Chicago, promote |
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1 | | ongoing professional development to equip school personnel |
2 | | with the skills and knowledge necessary to reduce contributing |
3 | | factors to truancy and excessive absences, and support |
4 | | community-based organizations and parents in their ongoing |
5 | | efforts to encourage youths to adopt and practice positive |
6 | | social behaviors that will allow them to be successful in |
7 | | school and in their communities; and be it further |
8 | | RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall hold public hearings in |
9 | | the City of Chicago and shall report its findings to the |
10 | | General Assembly on or before December 31, 2013; and be it |
11 | | further |
12 | | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be |
13 | | delivered to the Governor, the Director of Children and Family |
14 | | Services, the Chairperson of the State Board of Education, the |
15 | | Chairperson of the Board of Higher Education, the Secretary of |
16 | | Human Services, the Director of Corrections, the Director of |
17 | | Juvenile Justice, the Superintendent of the Chicago Police |
18 | | Department, the Mayor of the City of Chicago, the Chief |
19 | | Executive Officer of City of Chicago School District 299, the |
20 | | Secretary of State, the Cook County Sheriff, and the president |
21 | | of each public university in this State.
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