SB1601 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB101 09554 AXK 54652 b

101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2019 and 2020
SB1601

Introduced 2/15/2019, by Sen. Elgie R. Sims, Jr.

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

105 ILCS 5/27-21

from Ch. 122, par. 27-21

Amends the School Code. With regard to the required history of the United States course, provides that, beginning with the 2020-2021 school year, the course must also include instruction on the history of Illinois.

FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

STATE MANDATES ACT MAY REQUIRE REIMBURSEMENT

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning education.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Section 27-21 as follows:

(105 ILCS 5/27-21) (from Ch. 122, par. 27-21)

Sec. 27-21. History of United States. History of the United States shall be taught in all public schools and in all other educational institutions in this State supported or maintained, in whole or in part, by public funds. The teaching of history shall have as one of its objectives the imparting to pupils of a comprehensive idea of our democratic form of government and the principles for which our government stands as regards other nations, including the studying of the place of our government in world-wide movements and the leaders thereof, with particular stress upon the basic principles and ideals of our representative form of government. The teaching of history shall include a study of the role and contributions of African Americans and other ethnic groups including but not restricted to Polish, Lithuanian, German, Hungarian, Irish, Bohemian, Russian, Albanian, Italian, Czech, Slovak, French, Scots, Hispanics, Asian Americans, etc., in the history of this country and this State. To reinforce the study of the role and contributions of Hispanics, such curriculum shall include the study of the events related to the forceful removal and illegal deportation of Mexican-American U.S. citizens during the Great Depression. The teaching of history also shall include a study of the role of labor unions and their interaction with government in achieving the goals of a mixed free enterprise system. Beginning with the 2020-2021 school year, the teaching of history must also include instruction on the history of Illinois. No pupils shall be graduated from the eighth grade of any public school unless he has received such instruction in the history of the United States and gives evidence of having a comprehensive knowledge thereof.

(Source: P.A. 96-629, eff. 1-1-10.)