SB1579 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB103 26901 RJT 53265 b

103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024
SB1579

Introduced 2/8/2023, by Sen. Adriane Johnson

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

105 ILCS 5/27-20.05 new
105 ILCS 5/27-20.4a new

Amends the Courses of Study Article of the School Code. Provides that, beginning with the 2024-2025 school year, every public elementary school and high school shall include in its curriculum a unit of instruction studying the events of pre-Columbian Native American societies and the contemporary life of Native American societies. Provides that, beginning with the 2024-2025 school year, every public elementary school and high school shall include in its curriculum a unit of instruction studying the history of Native Americans during and after the American Revolution, including studying their relationships with settlers in the 18th and 19th centuries, as well as the contributions of Native Americans to the economic, cultural, social, and political development of the United States. Provides that, beginning with the 2024-2025 school year, every public elementary school and high school shall include in its curriculum a unit of instruction studying the geography and culture of West African societies, the trans-Atlantic slave trade, and manners in which cultural traditions persevered despite societal oppression. Requires schools to have guidance counselors available during this instruction. Sets forth requirements for these units of instruction regarding instructional material, instructional time, and compliance. Provides that a school may provide these units of instruction through an online program or course.

STATE MANDATES ACT MAY REQUIRE REIMBURSEMENT MAY APPLY

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 adding Sections 27-20.05 and 27-20.4a as follows:

(105 ILCS 5/27-20.05 new)

Sec. 27-20.05. Study of Native Americans.

(a) Beginning with the 2024-2025 school year, every public elementary school and high school shall include in its curriculum a unit of instruction studying the events of pre-Columbian Native American societies, including, but not limited to, the Pueblo, Adena, Hopewell, Mississippian, and Clovis cultures. This instruction shall further be supplemented by education concerning the contemporary life of Native American societies, including, but not limited to, the Navajo, Cherokee, Lakota-Sioux, Tlingit, and Yupik, and the cultural traditions and customs of Native American societies, such as their beliefs, traditions, geography, and language. The studying of this material shall constitute an affirmation by students to understand the foundations of the land in which they live and to restore history previously lost.

(b) Beginning with the 2024-2025 school year, every public elementary school and high school shall include in its curriculum a unit of instruction studying the history of Native Americans during and after the American Revolution, including studying their relationships with settlers in the 18th and 19th centuries, as well as the contributions of Native Americans to the economic, cultural, social, and political development of the United States. These contributions shall include those made to advance civil rights both in the Midwest and across the United States in the 19th and 20th centuries. The study of this material shall constitute an affirmation by students of their commitment to respect the dignity of all races and peoples and to forever eschew every form of discrimination in their lives and careers.

(c) The State Board of Education shall develop a curriculum under this Section that is historically accurate through collaboration with federally recognized Native American tribes in which any individual who is a verified member of one of those tribes may collaborate with the State Board in the development of the curriculum.

(d) The State Superintendent of Education may prepare and make available to all school boards instructional materials, including those established by the Public Broadcasting Service, that may be used as guidelines for development of the units of instruction under this Section. However, each school board shall itself determine the minimum amount of instructional time that qualifies as a unit of instruction satisfying the requirements of this Section.

(e) The regional superintendent of schools shall monitor a school district's compliance with this Section's curricular requirements during the regional superintendent's annual compliance visit.

(f) A school may meet the requirements of this Section through an online program or course.

(105 ILCS 5/27-20.4a new)

Sec. 27-20.4a. West African history study.

(a) In addition to the unit of instruction under Section 27-20.4, beginning with the 2024-2025 school year, every public elementary school and high school shall include in its curriculum a unit of instruction studying the geography and culture of West African societies, including, but not limited to, the Igbo, Yoruba, Mende, Wolof, and Hausa. This instruction shall further be supplemented by education concerning the trans-Atlantic slave trade and manners in which cultural traditions persevered despite societal oppression.

(b) The State Superintendent of Education may prepare and make available to all school boards instructional materials, including those established by the Public Broadcasting Service, that may be used as guidelines for development of a unit of instruction under this Section. However, each school board shall itself determine the minimum amount of instructional time that qualifies as a unit of instruction satisfying the requirements of this Section.

(c) In order to assist students in coping with the trauma of generational separation and enslavement, all schools must have guidance counselors available during the instruction under this Section.

(d) The regional superintendent of schools shall monitor a school district's compliance with this Section's curricular requirements during the regional superintendent's annual compliance visit.

(e) A school may meet the requirements of this Section through an online program or course.