093_SB0624 LRB093 07962 NHT 08156 b 1 AN ACT regarding schools. 2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, 3 represented in the General Assembly: 4 Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing 5 Section 2-3.13a as follows: 6 (105 ILCS 5/2-3.13a) (from Ch. 122, par. 2-3.13a) 7 Sec. 2-3.13a. Scholastic records; transferring students. 8 The State Board of Education shall establish and implement 9 rules requiring all of the public schools and all private or 10 nonpublic elementary and secondary schools located in this 11 State, whenever any such school has a student who is 12 transferring to any other public elementary or secondary 13 school located in this or in any other state, to forward 14 within 10 days of notice of the student's transfer an 15 unofficial record of that student's grades to the school to 16 which such student is transferring. Each public school at 17 the same time also shall forward to the school to which the 18 student is transferring the remainder of the student's school 19 student records as required by the Illinois School Student 20 Records Act. In the absence of student record documentation, 21 a receiving school district may require the passage of 22 assessments for placement purposes. In addition, if a student 23 is transferring from a public school, whether located in this 24 or any other state, from which the student has been suspended 25 or expelled for knowingly possessing in a school building or 26 on school grounds a weapon as defined in the Gun Free Schools 27 Act (20 U.S.C. 8921 et seq.), for knowingly possessing, 28 selling, or delivering in a school building or on school 29 grounds a controlled substance or cannabis, or for battering 30 a staff member of the school, and if the period of suspension 31 or expulsion has not expired at the time the student attempts -2- LRB093 07962 NHT 08156 b 1 to transfer into another public school in the same or any 2 other school district: (i) any school student records 3 required to be transferred shall include the date and 4 duration of the period of suspension or expulsion; and (ii) 5 with the exception of transfers into the Department of 6 Corrections school district, the student shall not be 7 permitted to attend class in the public school into which he 8 or she is transferring until the student has served the 9 entire period of the suspension or expulsion imposed by the 10 school from which the student is transferring, provided that 11 the school board may approve the placement of the student in 12 an alternative school program established under Article 13A 13 of this Code. A school district may adopt a policy providing 14 that if a student is suspended or expelled for any reason 15 from any public or private school in this or any other state, 16 the student must complete the entire term of the suspension 17 or expulsion before being admitted into the school district. 18 This policy may allow placement of the student in an 19 alternative school program established under Article 13A of 20 this Code, if available, for the remainder of the suspension 21 or expulsion. Each public school and each private or 22 nonpublic elementary or secondary school in this State shall 23 within 10 days after the student has paid all of his or her 24 outstanding fines and fees and at its own expense forward an 25 official transcript of the scholastic records of each student 26 transferring from that school in strict accordance with the 27 provisions of this Section and the rules established by the 28 State Board of Education as herein provided. 29 The State Board of Education shall develop a one-page 30 standard form that Illinois school districts are required to 31 provide to any student who is moving out of the school 32 district and that contains the information about whether or 33 not the student is "in good standing" and whether or not his 34 or her medical records are up-to-date and complete. As used -3- LRB093 07962 NHT 08156 b 1 in this Section, "in good standing" means that the student is 2 not being disciplined by a suspension or expulsion, but is 3 entitled to attend classes. No school district is required 4 to admit a new student who is transferring from another 5 Illinois school district unless he or she can produce the 6 standard form from the student's previous school district 7 enrollment. No school district is required to admit a new 8 student who is transferring from an out-of-state public 9 school unless the parent or guardian of the student certifies 10 in writing that the student is not currently serving a 11 suspension or expulsion imposed by the school from which the 12 student is transferring. 13 (Source: P.A. 91-365, eff. 7-30-99; 92-64, eff. 7-12-01.) 14 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon 15 becoming law.