101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2019 and 2020
HB4170

 

Introduced 1/22/2020, by Rep. Deb Conroy

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
105 ILCS 5/10-30 new
105 ILCS 5/26-1  from Ch. 122, par. 26-1
105 ILCS 5/34-21.9 new

    Amends the School Code. Allows a school board to establish a voluntary "civic engagement day" in which a student in the seventh through 12th grade may request an excused absence of not more than one full school day per school year to participate in an organized civic engagement activity or event. Sets forth the requirements that a student must satisfy to receive the excused absence to participate in the organized civic engagement activity or event. Provides that a school official may not deny a requested absence because of the content or purpose of the civic engagement activity or event. Effective immediately.


LRB101 16382 CMG 65760 b

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

HB4170LRB101 16382 CMG 65760 b

1    AN ACT concerning education.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The School Code is amended by adding Sections
510-30 and 34-21.9 and by changing Section 26-1 as follows:
 
6    (105 ILCS 5/10-30 new)
7    Sec. 10-30. Civic engagement day.
8    (a) To encourage students to participate in civic
9activities and events, a school board may establish a "civic
10engagement day" in which students in grades seventh through
1112th may request from their school an excused absence of not
12more than one full school day per school year to participate in
13an organized civic engagement activity or event. A school
14district that establishes a civic engagement day may not
15require a student to participate in a civic engagement activity
16or event.
17    (b) To receive an excused absence to participate in an
18organized civic engagement activity or event under this
19Section, a student must, prior to the date of the requested
20absence, do both of the following:
21        (1) Submit a written request for approval of the
22    absence to the appropriate school official. The written
23    request must include notice of the student's intent to

 

 

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1    participate in an organized civic engagement activity or
2    event on the date of the requested absence. The school
3    official must approve or deny the student's request for an
4    excused absence. The school official may not deny the
5    requested absence for reasons based on the content or
6    purpose of the civic engagement activity or event.
7        (2) Provide written consent to the school official from
8    the student's parent or guardian approving the student's
9    participation in the organized civic engagement activity
10    or event on the date of the requested absence. The written
11    consent from the student's parent or guardian must contain
12    an acknowledgment that the student's participation in the
13    civic engagement activity or event is voluntary and is not
14    an activity or event sanctioned or required by the school
15    district. The student's parent or guardian must also
16    acknowledge that he or she is responsible for the student's
17    participation in the activity or event on the day of the
18    excused absence.
19    Following the date of the excused absence, the student must
20provide sufficient evidence or documentation to the school that
21on the date of the excused absence he or she participated in
22the civic engagement activity or event.
 
23    (105 ILCS 5/26-1)  (from Ch. 122, par. 26-1)
24    Sec. 26-1. Compulsory school age; exemptions. Whoever has
25custody or control of any child (i) between the ages of 7 and

 

 

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117 years (unless the child has already graduated from high
2school) for school years before the 2014-2015 school year or
3(ii) between the ages of 6 (on or before September 1) and 17
4years (unless the child has already graduated from high school)
5beginning with the 2014-2015 school year shall cause such child
6to attend some public school in the district wherein the child
7resides the entire time it is in session during the regular
8school term, except as provided in Section 10-19.1, and during
9a required summer school program established under Section
1010-22.33B; provided, that the following children shall not be
11required to attend the public schools:
12        1. Any child attending a private or a parochial school
13    where children are taught the branches of education taught
14    to children of corresponding age and grade in the public
15    schools, and where the instruction of the child in the
16    branches of education is in the English language;
17        2. Any child who is physically or mentally unable to
18    attend school, such disability being certified to the
19    county or district truant officer by a competent physician
20    licensed in Illinois to practice medicine and surgery in
21    all its branches, a chiropractic physician licensed under
22    the Medical Practice Act of 1987, a licensed advanced
23    practice registered nurse, a licensed physician assistant,
24    or a Christian Science practitioner residing in this State
25    and listed in the Christian Science Journal; or who is
26    excused for temporary absence for cause by the principal or

 

 

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1    teacher of the school which the child attends; the
2    exemptions in this paragraph (2) do not apply to any female
3    who is pregnant or the mother of one or more children,
4    except where a female is unable to attend school due to a
5    complication arising from her pregnancy and the existence
6    of such complication is certified to the county or district
7    truant officer by a competent physician;
8        3. Any child necessarily and lawfully employed
9    according to the provisions of the law regulating child
10    labor may be excused from attendance at school by the
11    county superintendent of schools or the superintendent of
12    the public school which the child should be attending, on
13    certification of the facts by and the recommendation of the
14    school board of the public school district in which the
15    child resides. In districts having part-time continuation
16    schools, children so excused shall attend such schools at
17    least 8 hours each week;
18        4. Any child over 12 and under 14 years of age while in
19    attendance at confirmation classes;
20        5. Any child absent from a public school on a
21    particular day or days or at a particular time of day for
22    the reason that he is unable to attend classes or to
23    participate in any examination, study or work requirements
24    on a particular day or days or at a particular time of day,
25    because the tenets of his religion forbid secular activity
26    on a particular day or days or at a particular time of day.

 

 

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1    Each school board shall prescribe rules and regulations
2    relative to absences for religious holidays including, but
3    not limited to, a list of religious holidays on which it
4    shall be mandatory to excuse a child; but nothing in this
5    paragraph 5 shall be construed to limit the right of any
6    school board, at its discretion, to excuse an absence on
7    any other day by reason of the observance of a religious
8    holiday. A school board may require the parent or guardian
9    of a child who is to be excused from attending school due
10    to the observance of a religious holiday to give notice,
11    not exceeding 5 days, of the child's absence to the school
12    principal or other school personnel. Any child excused from
13    attending school under this paragraph 5 shall not be
14    required to submit a written excuse for such absence after
15    returning to school;
16        6. Any child 16 years of age or older who (i) submits
17    to a school district evidence of necessary and lawful
18    employment pursuant to paragraph 3 of this Section and (ii)
19    is enrolled in a graduation incentives program pursuant to
20    Section 26-16 of this Code or an alternative learning
21    opportunities program established pursuant to Article 13B
22    of this Code;
23        7. A child in any of grades 6 through 12 absent from a
24    public school on a particular day or days or at a
25    particular time of day for the purpose of sounding "Taps"
26    at a military honors funeral held in this State for a

 

 

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1    deceased veteran. In order to be excused under this
2    paragraph 7, the student shall notify the school's
3    administration at least 2 days prior to the date of the
4    absence and shall provide the school's administration with
5    the date, time, and location of the military honors
6    funeral. The school's administration may waive this 2-day
7    notification requirement if the student did not receive at
8    least 2 days advance notice, but the student shall notify
9    the school's administration as soon as possible of the
10    absence. A student whose absence is excused under this
11    paragraph 7 shall be counted as if the student attended
12    school for purposes of calculating the average daily
13    attendance of students in the school district. A student
14    whose absence is excused under this paragraph 7 must be
15    allowed a reasonable time to make up school work missed
16    during the absence. If the student satisfactorily
17    completes the school work, the day of absence shall be
18    counted as a day of compulsory attendance and he or she may
19    not be penalized for that absence; and
20        8. Any child absent from a public school on a
21    particular day or days or at a particular time of day for
22    the reason that his or her parent or legal guardian is an
23    active duty member of the uniformed services and has been
24    called to duty for, is on leave from, or has immediately
25    returned from deployment to a combat zone or combat-support
26    postings. Such a student shall be granted 5 days of excused

 

 

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1    absences in any school year and, at the discretion of the
2    school board, additional excused absences to visit the
3    student's parent or legal guardian relative to such leave
4    or deployment of the parent or legal guardian. In the case
5    of excused absences pursuant to this paragraph 8, the
6    student and parent or legal guardian shall be responsible
7    for obtaining assignments from the student's teacher prior
8    to any period of excused absence and for ensuring that such
9    assignments are completed by the student prior to his or
10    her return to school from such period of excused absence.
11        9. A child participating in a civic engagement activity
12    or event in compliance with Section 10-30 or 34-21.9 of
13    this Code.
14(Source: P.A. 99-173, eff. 7-29-15; 99-804, eff. 1-1-17;
15100-185, eff. 8-18-17; 100-513, eff. 1-1-18; 100-863, eff.
168-14-18.)
 
17    (105 ILCS 5/34-21.9 new)
18    Sec. 34-21.9. Civic engagement day.
19    (a) To encourage students to participate in civic
20activities and events, the board may establish a "civic
21engagement day" in which students in grades seventh through
2212th may request from their school an excused absence of not
23more than one full school day per school year to participate in
24an organized civic engagement activity or event. In
25establishing a civic engagement day, the school district may

 

 

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1not require a student to participate in a civic engagement
2activity or event.
3    (b) To receive an excused absence to participate in an
4organized civic engagement activity or event, a student must,
5prior to the date of the requested absence, do both of the
6following:
7        (1) Submit a written request for approval of the
8    absence to the appropriate school official. The written
9    request must include notice of the student's intent to
10    participate in an organized civic engagement activity or
11    event on the date of the requested absence. The school
12    official must approve or deny the student's request for an
13    excused absence. The school official may not deny the
14    requested absence for reasons based on the content or
15    purpose of the civic engagement activity or event.
16        (2) Provide written consent to the school official from
17    the student's parent or guardian approving the student's
18    participation in the organized civic engagement activity
19    or event on the date of the requested absence. The written
20    consent from the student's parent or guardian must contain
21    an acknowledgment that the student's participation in the
22    civic engagement activity or event is voluntary and is not
23    an activity or event sanctioned or required by the school
24    district. The student's parent or guardian must also
25    acknowledge that he or she is responsible for the student's
26    participation in the activity or event on the day of the

 

 

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1    excused absence.
2    Following the date of the excused absence, the student must
3provide sufficient evidence or documentation to the school
4official that on the date of the excused absence he or she
5participated in the civic engagement activity or event.
 
6    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
7becoming law.