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1
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Nearly 32,000 kindergarten through 8th grade
3students in City of Chicago School District 299 missed 4 weeks
4or more of class in the 2010-2011 school year; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Absenteeism in the elementary grades is
6particularly severe in African-American communities on the
7south and west sides of Chicago, which are marked by gang
8violence, unemployment, and poverty; and
 
9    WHEREAS, More than 20% of black elementary school students
10missed at least 4 weeks of school in the 2010-2011 school year,
11compared to 7% of whites and 8% of Hispanics; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Forty-two percent of kindergarten through 8th
13grade students with a disability or impairment missed 4 weeks
14of classes in the same school year, compared to 12% of students
15without a disability; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Nineteen percent of kindergarteners were
17officially listed as chronic truants because they accumulated 9
18or more days of unexcused absences; therefore, be it
 
19    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
20NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE

 

 

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1SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that there is created the Truancy in
2Chicago Public Schools Task Force, consisting of all of the
3following members:
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
2call of the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the
3President of the Senate and that members of the task force
4shall select a chairperson at the initial meeting and shall
5thereafter meet at the call of the chairperson; and be it
6further
 
7    RESOLVED, That the State Board of Education shall provide
8staff and administrative support to the Task Force; and be it
9further
 
10    RESOLVED, That the members of the Task Force shall be
11reimbursed for their travel expenses from appropriations to the
12State Board of Education available for that purpose and subject
13to the rules of the appropriate travel control board; and be it
14further
 
15    RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall examine issues and make
16recommendations related to current State Board of Education and
17City of Chicago School District 299 policies regarding truancy
18and excessive absences; and be it further
 
19    RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall identify different
20strategies and approaches to help educators and the City of
21Chicago School District 299 administration address the truancy
22and excessive absences epidemic in the City of Chicago, promote

 

 

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1ongoing professional development to equip school personnel
2with the skills and knowledge necessary to reduce contributing
3factors to truancy and excessive absences, and support
4community-based organizations and parents in their ongoing
5efforts to encourage youths to adopt and practice positive
6social behaviors that will allow them to be successful in
7school and in their communities; and be it further
 
8    RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall hold public hearings in
9the City of Chicago and shall report its findings to the
10General Assembly on or before December 31, 2013; and be it
11further
 
12    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
13delivered to the Governor, the Director of Children and Family
14Services, the Chairperson of the State Board of Education, the
15Chairperson of the Board of Higher Education, the Secretary of
16Human Services, the Director of Corrections, the Director of
17Juvenile Justice, the Superintendent of the Chicago Police
18Department, the Mayor of the City of Chicago, the Chief
19Executive Officer of City of Chicago School District 299, the
20Secretary of State, the Cook County Sheriff, and the president
21of each public university in this State.