103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024
HB1481

 

Introduced 1/31/2023, by Rep. La Shawn K. Ford

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
105 ILCS 5/27A-5
105 ILCS 5/28-22 new

    Amends the Instructional Materials Article of the School Code. Provides that a school district (including a charter school) shall require that books that are included as a part of any course, material, instruction, reading assignment, or other school curricula related to literature during the school year or that appear on summer reading lists must include books that are written by diverse authors, including, but not limited to, authors who are African American, women, Native American, LatinX, and Asian. Provides that reading material may not perpetuate bias against persons based on specified categories. Provides that for any school district utilizing federal funds under Title I, Part A of the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, the selection of each book to be included in a reading assignment, course material and instruction, or other school curricula related to literature must first receive prior approval from the school board before the book may be included. Provides that the criteria for the approval or denial of a book shall be determined by school board policy, but the minimum requirement is that the book may not be approved by the school board if the book contains language or material that is derogatory or racist or incites hate against any persons. Provides for rulemaking and guidelines. Effective immediately.


LRB103 03522 RJT 48528 b

STATE MANDATES ACT MAY REQUIRE REIMBURSEMENT
MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

HB1481LRB103 03522 RJT 48528 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 changing Section
527A-5 and by adding Section 28-22 as follows:
 
6    (105 ILCS 5/27A-5)
7    (Text of Section before amendment by P.A. 102-466,
8102-702, and 102-805)
9    Sec. 27A-5. Charter school; legal entity; requirements.
10    (a) A charter school shall be a public, nonsectarian,
11nonreligious, non-home based, and non-profit school. A charter
12school shall be organized and operated as a nonprofit
13corporation or other discrete, legal, nonprofit entity
14authorized under the laws of the State of Illinois.
15    (b) A charter school may be established under this Article
16by creating a new school or by converting an existing public
17school or attendance center to charter school status.
18Beginning on April 16, 2003 (the effective date of Public Act
1993-3), in all new applications to establish a charter school
20in a city having a population exceeding 500,000, operation of
21the charter school shall be limited to one campus. The changes
22made to this Section by Public Act 93-3 do not apply to charter
23schools existing or approved on or before April 16, 2003 (the

 

 

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1effective date of Public Act 93-3).
2    (b-5) In this subsection (b-5), "virtual-schooling" means
3a cyber school where students engage in online curriculum and
4instruction via the Internet and electronic communication with
5their teachers at remote locations and with students
6participating at different times.
7    From April 1, 2013 through December 31, 2016, there is a
8moratorium on the establishment of charter schools with
9virtual-schooling components in school districts other than a
10school district organized under Article 34 of this Code. This
11moratorium does not apply to a charter school with
12virtual-schooling components existing or approved prior to
13April 1, 2013 or to the renewal of the charter of a charter
14school with virtual-schooling components already approved
15prior to April 1, 2013.
16    (c) A charter school shall be administered and governed by
17its board of directors or other governing body in the manner
18provided in its charter. The governing body of a charter
19school shall be subject to the Freedom of Information Act and
20the Open Meetings Act. No later than January 1, 2021 (one year
21after the effective date of Public Act 101-291), a charter
22school's board of directors or other governing body must
23include at least one parent or guardian of a pupil currently
24enrolled in the charter school who may be selected through the
25charter school or a charter network election, appointment by
26the charter school's board of directors or other governing

 

 

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1body, or by the charter school's Parent Teacher Organization
2or its equivalent.
3    (c-5) No later than January 1, 2021 (one year after the
4effective date of Public Act 101-291) or within the first year
5of his or her first term, every voting member of a charter
6school's board of directors or other governing body shall
7complete a minimum of 4 hours of professional development
8leadership training to ensure that each member has sufficient
9familiarity with the board's or governing body's role and
10responsibilities, including financial oversight and
11accountability of the school, evaluating the principal's and
12school's performance, adherence to the Freedom of Information
13Act and the Open Meetings Act, and compliance with education
14and labor law. In each subsequent year of his or her term, a
15voting member of a charter school's board of directors or
16other governing body shall complete a minimum of 2 hours of
17professional development training in these same areas. The
18training under this subsection may be provided or certified by
19a statewide charter school membership association or may be
20provided or certified by other qualified providers approved by
21the State Board of Education.
22    (d) For purposes of this subsection (d), "non-curricular
23health and safety requirement" means any health and safety
24requirement created by statute or rule to provide, maintain,
25preserve, or safeguard safe or healthful conditions for
26students and school personnel or to eliminate, reduce, or

 

 

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1prevent threats to the health and safety of students and
2school personnel. "Non-curricular health and safety
3requirement" does not include any course of study or
4specialized instructional requirement for which the State
5Board has established goals and learning standards or which is
6designed primarily to impart knowledge and skills for students
7to master and apply as an outcome of their education.
8    A charter school shall comply with all non-curricular
9health and safety requirements applicable to public schools
10under the laws of the State of Illinois. On or before September
111, 2015, the State Board shall promulgate and post on its
12Internet website a list of non-curricular health and safety
13requirements that a charter school must meet. The list shall
14be updated annually no later than September 1. Any charter
15contract between a charter school and its authorizer must
16contain a provision that requires the charter school to follow
17the list of all non-curricular health and safety requirements
18promulgated by the State Board and any non-curricular health
19and safety requirements added by the State Board to such list
20during the term of the charter. Nothing in this subsection (d)
21precludes an authorizer from including non-curricular health
22and safety requirements in a charter school contract that are
23not contained in the list promulgated by the State Board,
24including non-curricular health and safety requirements of the
25authorizing local school board.
26    (e) Except as otherwise provided in the School Code, a

 

 

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1charter school shall not charge tuition; provided that a
2charter school may charge reasonable fees for textbooks,
3instructional materials, and student activities.
4    (f) A charter school shall be responsible for the
5management and operation of its fiscal affairs, including, but
6not limited to, the preparation of its budget. An audit of each
7charter school's finances shall be conducted annually by an
8outside, independent contractor retained by the charter
9school. The contractor shall not be an employee of the charter
10school or affiliated with the charter school or its authorizer
11in any way, other than to audit the charter school's finances.
12To ensure financial accountability for the use of public
13funds, on or before December 1 of every year of operation, each
14charter school shall submit to its authorizer and the State
15Board a copy of its audit and a copy of the Form 990 the
16charter school filed that year with the federal Internal
17Revenue Service. In addition, if deemed necessary for proper
18financial oversight of the charter school, an authorizer may
19require quarterly financial statements from each charter
20school.
21    (g) A charter school shall comply with all provisions of
22this Article, the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act,
23all federal and State laws and rules applicable to public
24schools that pertain to special education and the instruction
25of English learners, and its charter. A charter school is
26exempt from all other State laws and regulations in this Code

 

 

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1governing public schools and local school board policies;
2however, a charter school is not exempt from the following:
3        (1) Sections 10-21.9 and 34-18.5 of this Code
4    regarding criminal history records checks and checks of
5    the Statewide Sex Offender Database and Statewide Murderer
6    and Violent Offender Against Youth Database of applicants
7    for employment;
8        (2) Sections 10-20.14, 10-22.6, 24-24, 34-19, and
9    34-84a of this Code regarding discipline of students;
10        (3) the Local Governmental and Governmental Employees
11    Tort Immunity Act;
12        (4) Section 108.75 of the General Not For Profit
13    Corporation Act of 1986 regarding indemnification of
14    officers, directors, employees, and agents;
15        (5) the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act;
16        (5.5) subsection (b) of Section 10-23.12 and
17    subsection (b) of Section 34-18.6 of this Code;
18        (6) the Illinois School Student Records Act;
19        (7) Section 10-17a of this Code regarding school
20    report cards;
21        (8) the P-20 Longitudinal Education Data System Act;
22        (9) Section 27-23.7 of this Code regarding bullying
23    prevention;
24        (10) Section 2-3.162 of this Code regarding student
25    discipline reporting;
26        (11) Sections 22-80 and 27-8.1 of this Code;

 

 

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1        (12) Sections 10-20.60 and 34-18.53 of this Code;
2        (13) Sections 10-20.63 and 34-18.56 of this Code;
3        (14) Sections 22-90 and 26-18 of this Code;
4        (15) Section 22-30 of this Code;
5        (16) Sections 24-12 and 34-85 of this Code;
6        (17) the Seizure Smart School Act;
7        (18) Section 2-3.64a-10 of this Code;
8        (19) Sections 10-20.73 and 34-21.9 of this Code;
9        (20) Section 10-22.25b of this Code;
10        (21) Section 27-9.1a of this Code;
11        (22) Section 27-9.1b of this Code;
12        (23) Section 34-18.8 of this Code;
13        (25) Section 2-3.188 of this Code;
14        (26) Section 22-85.5 of this Code;
15        (27) subsections Subsections (d-10), (d-15), and
16    (d-20) of Section 10-20.56 of this Code; and
17        (28) Sections 10-20.83 and 34-18.78 of this Code; and .
18        (33) Section 28-22 of this Code.
19    The change made by Public Act 96-104 to this subsection
20(g) is declaratory of existing law.
21    (h) A charter school may negotiate and contract with a
22school district, the governing body of a State college or
23university or public community college, or any other public or
24for-profit or nonprofit private entity for: (i) the use of a
25school building and grounds or any other real property or
26facilities that the charter school desires to use or convert

 

 

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1for use as a charter school site, (ii) the operation and
2maintenance thereof, and (iii) the provision of any service,
3activity, or undertaking that the charter school is required
4to perform in order to carry out the terms of its charter.
5However, a charter school that is established on or after
6April 16, 2003 (the effective date of Public Act 93-3) and that
7operates in a city having a population exceeding 500,000 may
8not contract with a for-profit entity to manage or operate the
9school during the period that commences on April 16, 2003 (the
10effective date of Public Act 93-3) and concludes at the end of
11the 2004-2005 school year. Except as provided in subsection
12(i) of this Section, a school district may charge a charter
13school reasonable rent for the use of the district's
14buildings, grounds, and facilities. Any services for which a
15charter school contracts with a school district shall be
16provided by the district at cost. Any services for which a
17charter school contracts with a local school board or with the
18governing body of a State college or university or public
19community college shall be provided by the public entity at
20cost.
21    (i) In no event shall a charter school that is established
22by converting an existing school or attendance center to
23charter school status be required to pay rent for space that is
24deemed available, as negotiated and provided in the charter
25agreement, in school district facilities. However, all other
26costs for the operation and maintenance of school district

 

 

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1facilities that are used by the charter school shall be
2subject to negotiation between the charter school and the
3local school board and shall be set forth in the charter.
4    (j) A charter school may limit student enrollment by age
5or grade level.
6    (k) If the charter school is approved by the State Board or
7Commission, then the charter school is its own local education
8agency.
9(Source: P.A. 101-50, eff. 7-1-20; 101-81, eff. 7-12-19;
10101-291, eff. 1-1-20; 101-531, eff. 8-23-19; 101-543, eff.
118-23-19; 101-654, eff. 3-8-21; 102-51, eff. 7-9-21; 102-157,
12eff. 7-1-22; 102-360, eff. 1-1-22; 102-445, eff. 8-20-21;
13102-522, eff. 8-20-21; 102-558, eff. 8-20-21; 102-676, eff.
1412-3-21; 102-697, eff. 4-5-22; 102-813, eff. 5-13-22; revised
158-16-22.)
 
16    (Text of Section after amendment by P.A. 102-805 but
17before amendment by P.A. 102-466 and 102-702)
18    Sec. 27A-5. Charter school; legal entity; requirements.
19    (a) A charter school shall be a public, nonsectarian,
20nonreligious, non-home based, and non-profit school. A charter
21school shall be organized and operated as a nonprofit
22corporation or other discrete, legal, nonprofit entity
23authorized under the laws of the State of Illinois.
24    (b) A charter school may be established under this Article
25by creating a new school or by converting an existing public

 

 

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1school or attendance center to charter school status.
2Beginning on April 16, 2003 (the effective date of Public Act
393-3), in all new applications to establish a charter school
4in a city having a population exceeding 500,000, operation of
5the charter school shall be limited to one campus. The changes
6made to this Section by Public Act 93-3 do not apply to charter
7schools existing or approved on or before April 16, 2003 (the
8effective date of Public Act 93-3).
9    (b-5) In this subsection (b-5), "virtual-schooling" means
10a cyber school where students engage in online curriculum and
11instruction via the Internet and electronic communication with
12their teachers at remote locations and with students
13participating at different times.
14    From April 1, 2013 through December 31, 2016, there is a
15moratorium on the establishment of charter schools with
16virtual-schooling components in school districts other than a
17school district organized under Article 34 of this Code. This
18moratorium does not apply to a charter school with
19virtual-schooling components existing or approved prior to
20April 1, 2013 or to the renewal of the charter of a charter
21school with virtual-schooling components already approved
22prior to April 1, 2013.
23    (c) A charter school shall be administered and governed by
24its board of directors or other governing body in the manner
25provided in its charter. The governing body of a charter
26school shall be subject to the Freedom of Information Act and

 

 

HB1481- 11 -LRB103 03522 RJT 48528 b

1the Open Meetings Act. No later than January 1, 2021 (one year
2after the effective date of Public Act 101-291), a charter
3school's board of directors or other governing body must
4include at least one parent or guardian of a pupil currently
5enrolled in the charter school who may be selected through the
6charter school or a charter network election, appointment by
7the charter school's board of directors or other governing
8body, or by the charter school's Parent Teacher Organization
9or its equivalent.
10    (c-5) No later than January 1, 2021 (one year after the
11effective date of Public Act 101-291) or within the first year
12of his or her first term, every voting member of a charter
13school's board of directors or other governing body shall
14complete a minimum of 4 hours of professional development
15leadership training to ensure that each member has sufficient
16familiarity with the board's or governing body's role and
17responsibilities, including financial oversight and
18accountability of the school, evaluating the principal's and
19school's performance, adherence to the Freedom of Information
20Act and the Open Meetings Act, and compliance with education
21and labor law. In each subsequent year of his or her term, a
22voting member of a charter school's board of directors or
23other governing body shall complete a minimum of 2 hours of
24professional development training in these same areas. The
25training under this subsection may be provided or certified by
26a statewide charter school membership association or may be

 

 

HB1481- 12 -LRB103 03522 RJT 48528 b

1provided or certified by other qualified providers approved by
2the State Board of Education.
3    (d) For purposes of this subsection (d), "non-curricular
4health and safety requirement" means any health and safety
5requirement created by statute or rule to provide, maintain,
6preserve, or safeguard safe or healthful conditions for
7students and school personnel or to eliminate, reduce, or
8prevent threats to the health and safety of students and
9school personnel. "Non-curricular health and safety
10requirement" does not include any course of study or
11specialized instructional requirement for which the State
12Board has established goals and learning standards or which is
13designed primarily to impart knowledge and skills for students
14to master and apply as an outcome of their education.
15    A charter school shall comply with all non-curricular
16health and safety requirements applicable to public schools
17under the laws of the State of Illinois. On or before September
181, 2015, the State Board shall promulgate and post on its
19Internet website a list of non-curricular health and safety
20requirements that a charter school must meet. The list shall
21be updated annually no later than September 1. Any charter
22contract between a charter school and its authorizer must
23contain a provision that requires the charter school to follow
24the list of all non-curricular health and safety requirements
25promulgated by the State Board and any non-curricular health
26and safety requirements added by the State Board to such list

 

 

HB1481- 13 -LRB103 03522 RJT 48528 b

1during the term of the charter. Nothing in this subsection (d)
2precludes an authorizer from including non-curricular health
3and safety requirements in a charter school contract that are
4not contained in the list promulgated by the State Board,
5including non-curricular health and safety requirements of the
6authorizing local school board.
7    (e) Except as otherwise provided in the School Code, a
8charter school shall not charge tuition; provided that a
9charter school may charge reasonable fees for textbooks,
10instructional materials, and student activities.
11    (f) A charter school shall be responsible for the
12management and operation of its fiscal affairs, including, but
13not limited to, the preparation of its budget. An audit of each
14charter school's finances shall be conducted annually by an
15outside, independent contractor retained by the charter
16school. The contractor shall not be an employee of the charter
17school or affiliated with the charter school or its authorizer
18in any way, other than to audit the charter school's finances.
19To ensure financial accountability for the use of public
20funds, on or before December 1 of every year of operation, each
21charter school shall submit to its authorizer and the State
22Board a copy of its audit and a copy of the Form 990 the
23charter school filed that year with the federal Internal
24Revenue Service. In addition, if deemed necessary for proper
25financial oversight of the charter school, an authorizer may
26require quarterly financial statements from each charter

 

 

HB1481- 14 -LRB103 03522 RJT 48528 b

1school.
2    (g) A charter school shall comply with all provisions of
3this Article, the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act,
4all federal and State laws and rules applicable to public
5schools that pertain to special education and the instruction
6of English learners, and its charter. A charter school is
7exempt from all other State laws and regulations in this Code
8governing public schools and local school board policies;
9however, a charter school is not exempt from the following:
10        (1) Sections 10-21.9 and 34-18.5 of this Code
11    regarding criminal history records checks and checks of
12    the Statewide Sex Offender Database and Statewide Murderer
13    and Violent Offender Against Youth Database of applicants
14    for employment;
15        (2) Sections 10-20.14, 10-22.6, 24-24, 34-19, and
16    34-84a of this Code regarding discipline of students;
17        (3) the Local Governmental and Governmental Employees
18    Tort Immunity Act;
19        (4) Section 108.75 of the General Not For Profit
20    Corporation Act of 1986 regarding indemnification of
21    officers, directors, employees, and agents;
22        (5) the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act;
23        (5.5) subsection (b) of Section 10-23.12 and
24    subsection (b) of Section 34-18.6 of this Code;
25        (6) the Illinois School Student Records Act;
26        (7) Section 10-17a of this Code regarding school

 

 

HB1481- 15 -LRB103 03522 RJT 48528 b

1    report cards;
2        (8) the P-20 Longitudinal Education Data System Act;
3        (9) Section 27-23.7 of this Code regarding bullying
4    prevention;
5        (10) Section 2-3.162 of this Code regarding student
6    discipline reporting;
7        (11) Sections 22-80 and 27-8.1 of this Code;
8        (12) Sections 10-20.60 and 34-18.53 of this Code;
9        (13) Sections 10-20.63 and 34-18.56 of this Code;
10        (14) Sections 22-90 and 26-18 of this Code;
11        (15) Section 22-30 of this Code;
12        (16) Sections 24-12 and 34-85 of this Code;
13        (17) the Seizure Smart School Act;
14        (18) Section 2-3.64a-10 of this Code;
15        (19) Sections 10-20.73 and 34-21.9 of this Code;
16        (20) Section 10-22.25b of this Code;
17        (21) Section 27-9.1a of this Code;
18        (22) Section 27-9.1b of this Code;
19        (23) Section 34-18.8 of this Code;
20        (25) Section 2-3.188 of this Code;
21        (26) Section 22-85.5 of this Code;
22        (27) subsections Subsections (d-10), (d-15), and
23    (d-20) of Section 10-20.56 of this Code; and
24        (28) Sections 10-20.83 and 34-18.78 of this Code; .
25        (29) (27) Section 10-20.13 of this Code;
26        (30) (28) Section 28-19.2 of this Code; and

 

 

HB1481- 16 -LRB103 03522 RJT 48528 b

1        (31) (29) Section 34-21.6 of this Code; and .
2        (33) Section 28-22 of this Code.
3    The change made by Public Act 96-104 to this subsection
4(g) is declaratory of existing law.
5    (h) A charter school may negotiate and contract with a
6school district, the governing body of a State college or
7university or public community college, or any other public or
8for-profit or nonprofit private entity for: (i) the use of a
9school building and grounds or any other real property or
10facilities that the charter school desires to use or convert
11for use as a charter school site, (ii) the operation and
12maintenance thereof, and (iii) the provision of any service,
13activity, or undertaking that the charter school is required
14to perform in order to carry out the terms of its charter.
15However, a charter school that is established on or after
16April 16, 2003 (the effective date of Public Act 93-3) and that
17operates in a city having a population exceeding 500,000 may
18not contract with a for-profit entity to manage or operate the
19school during the period that commences on April 16, 2003 (the
20effective date of Public Act 93-3) and concludes at the end of
21the 2004-2005 school year. Except as provided in subsection
22(i) of this Section, a school district may charge a charter
23school reasonable rent for the use of the district's
24buildings, grounds, and facilities. Any services for which a
25charter school contracts with a school district shall be
26provided by the district at cost. Any services for which a

 

 

HB1481- 17 -LRB103 03522 RJT 48528 b

1charter school contracts with a local school board or with the
2governing body of a State college or university or public
3community college shall be provided by the public entity at
4cost.
5    (i) In no event shall a charter school that is established
6by converting an existing school or attendance center to
7charter school status be required to pay rent for space that is
8deemed available, as negotiated and provided in the charter
9agreement, in school district facilities. However, all other
10costs for the operation and maintenance of school district
11facilities that are used by the charter school shall be
12subject to negotiation between the charter school and the
13local school board and shall be set forth in the charter.
14    (j) A charter school may limit student enrollment by age
15or grade level.
16    (k) If the charter school is approved by the State Board or
17Commission, then the charter school is its own local education
18agency.
19(Source: P.A. 101-50, eff. 7-1-20; 101-81, eff. 7-12-19;
20101-291, eff. 1-1-20; 101-531, eff. 8-23-19; 101-543, eff.
218-23-19; 101-654, eff. 3-8-21; 102-51, eff. 7-9-21; 102-157,
22eff. 7-1-22; 102-360, eff. 1-1-22; 102-445, eff. 8-20-21;
23102-522, eff. 8-20-21; 102-558, eff. 8-20-21; 102-676, eff.
2412-3-21; 102-697, eff. 4-5-22; 102-805, eff. 1-1-23; 102-813,
25eff. 5-13-22; revised 8-16-22.)
 

 

 

HB1481- 18 -LRB103 03522 RJT 48528 b

1    (Text of Section after amendment by P.A. 102-702 but
2before amendment by P.A. 102-466)
3    Sec. 27A-5. Charter school; legal entity; requirements.
4    (a) A charter school shall be a public, nonsectarian,
5nonreligious, non-home based, and non-profit school. A charter
6school shall be organized and operated as a nonprofit
7corporation or other discrete, legal, nonprofit entity
8authorized under the laws of the State of Illinois.
9    (b) A charter school may be established under this Article
10by creating a new school or by converting an existing public
11school or attendance center to charter school status.
12Beginning on April 16, 2003 (the effective date of Public Act
1393-3), in all new applications to establish a charter school
14in a city having a population exceeding 500,000, operation of
15the charter school shall be limited to one campus. The changes
16made to this Section by Public Act 93-3 do not apply to charter
17schools existing or approved on or before April 16, 2003 (the
18effective date of Public Act 93-3).
19    (b-5) In this subsection (b-5), "virtual-schooling" means
20a cyber school where students engage in online curriculum and
21instruction via the Internet and electronic communication with
22their teachers at remote locations and with students
23participating at different times.
24    From April 1, 2013 through December 31, 2016, there is a
25moratorium on the establishment of charter schools with
26virtual-schooling components in school districts other than a

 

 

HB1481- 19 -LRB103 03522 RJT 48528 b

1school district organized under Article 34 of this Code. This
2moratorium does not apply to a charter school with
3virtual-schooling components existing or approved prior to
4April 1, 2013 or to the renewal of the charter of a charter
5school with virtual-schooling components already approved
6prior to April 1, 2013.
7    (c) A charter school shall be administered and governed by
8its board of directors or other governing body in the manner
9provided in its charter. The governing body of a charter
10school shall be subject to the Freedom of Information Act and
11the Open Meetings Act. No later than January 1, 2021 (one year
12after the effective date of Public Act 101-291), a charter
13school's board of directors or other governing body must
14include at least one parent or guardian of a pupil currently
15enrolled in the charter school who may be selected through the
16charter school or a charter network election, appointment by
17the charter school's board of directors or other governing
18body, or by the charter school's Parent Teacher Organization
19or its equivalent.
20    (c-5) No later than January 1, 2021 (one year after the
21effective date of Public Act 101-291) or within the first year
22of his or her first term, every voting member of a charter
23school's board of directors or other governing body shall
24complete a minimum of 4 hours of professional development
25leadership training to ensure that each member has sufficient
26familiarity with the board's or governing body's role and

 

 

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1responsibilities, including financial oversight and
2accountability of the school, evaluating the principal's and
3school's performance, adherence to the Freedom of Information
4Act and the Open Meetings Act, and compliance with education
5and labor law. In each subsequent year of his or her term, a
6voting member of a charter school's board of directors or
7other governing body shall complete a minimum of 2 hours of
8professional development training in these same areas. The
9training under this subsection may be provided or certified by
10a statewide charter school membership association or may be
11provided or certified by other qualified providers approved by
12the State Board of Education.
13    (d) For purposes of this subsection (d), "non-curricular
14health and safety requirement" means any health and safety
15requirement created by statute or rule to provide, maintain,
16preserve, or safeguard safe or healthful conditions for
17students and school personnel or to eliminate, reduce, or
18prevent threats to the health and safety of students and
19school personnel. "Non-curricular health and safety
20requirement" does not include any course of study or
21specialized instructional requirement for which the State
22Board has established goals and learning standards or which is
23designed primarily to impart knowledge and skills for students
24to master and apply as an outcome of their education.
25    A charter school shall comply with all non-curricular
26health and safety requirements applicable to public schools

 

 

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1under the laws of the State of Illinois. On or before September
21, 2015, the State Board shall promulgate and post on its
3Internet website a list of non-curricular health and safety
4requirements that a charter school must meet. The list shall
5be updated annually no later than September 1. Any charter
6contract between a charter school and its authorizer must
7contain a provision that requires the charter school to follow
8the list of all non-curricular health and safety requirements
9promulgated by the State Board and any non-curricular health
10and safety requirements added by the State Board to such list
11during the term of the charter. Nothing in this subsection (d)
12precludes an authorizer from including non-curricular health
13and safety requirements in a charter school contract that are
14not contained in the list promulgated by the State Board,
15including non-curricular health and safety requirements of the
16authorizing local school board.
17    (e) Except as otherwise provided in the School Code, a
18charter school shall not charge tuition; provided that a
19charter school may charge reasonable fees for textbooks,
20instructional materials, and student activities.
21    (f) A charter school shall be responsible for the
22management and operation of its fiscal affairs, including, but
23not limited to, the preparation of its budget. An audit of each
24charter school's finances shall be conducted annually by an
25outside, independent contractor retained by the charter
26school. The contractor shall not be an employee of the charter

 

 

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1school or affiliated with the charter school or its authorizer
2in any way, other than to audit the charter school's finances.
3To ensure financial accountability for the use of public
4funds, on or before December 1 of every year of operation, each
5charter school shall submit to its authorizer and the State
6Board a copy of its audit and a copy of the Form 990 the
7charter school filed that year with the federal Internal
8Revenue Service. In addition, if deemed necessary for proper
9financial oversight of the charter school, an authorizer may
10require quarterly financial statements from each charter
11school.
12    (g) A charter school shall comply with all provisions of
13this Article, the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act,
14all federal and State laws and rules applicable to public
15schools that pertain to special education and the instruction
16of English learners, and its charter. A charter school is
17exempt from all other State laws and regulations in this Code
18governing public schools and local school board policies;
19however, a charter school is not exempt from the following:
20        (1) Sections 10-21.9 and 34-18.5 of this Code
21    regarding criminal history records checks and checks of
22    the Statewide Sex Offender Database and Statewide Murderer
23    and Violent Offender Against Youth Database of applicants
24    for employment;
25        (2) Sections 10-20.14, 10-22.6, 24-24, 34-19, and
26    34-84a of this Code regarding discipline of students;

 

 

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1        (3) the Local Governmental and Governmental Employees
2    Tort Immunity Act;
3        (4) Section 108.75 of the General Not For Profit
4    Corporation Act of 1986 regarding indemnification of
5    officers, directors, employees, and agents;
6        (5) the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act;
7        (5.5) subsection (b) of Section 10-23.12 and
8    subsection (b) of Section 34-18.6 of this Code;
9        (6) the Illinois School Student Records Act;
10        (7) Section 10-17a of this Code regarding school
11    report cards;
12        (8) the P-20 Longitudinal Education Data System Act;
13        (9) Section 27-23.7 of this Code regarding bullying
14    prevention;
15        (10) Section 2-3.162 of this Code regarding student
16    discipline reporting;
17        (11) Sections 22-80 and 27-8.1 of this Code;
18        (12) Sections 10-20.60 and 34-18.53 of this Code;
19        (13) Sections 10-20.63 and 34-18.56 of this Code;
20        (14) Sections 22-90 and 26-18 of this Code;
21        (15) Section 22-30 of this Code;
22        (16) Sections 24-12 and 34-85 of this Code;
23        (17) the Seizure Smart School Act;
24        (18) Section 2-3.64a-10 of this Code;
25        (19) Sections 10-20.73 and 34-21.9 of this Code;
26        (20) Section 10-22.25b of this Code;

 

 

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1        (21) Section 27-9.1a of this Code;
2        (22) Section 27-9.1b of this Code;
3        (23) Section 34-18.8 of this Code; and
4        (25) Section 2-3.188 of this Code;
5        (26) Section 22-85.5 of this Code;
6        (27) subsections Subsections (d-10), (d-15), and
7    (d-20) of Section 10-20.56 of this Code; and
8        (28) Sections 10-20.83 and 34-18.78 of this Code; .
9        (29) (27) Section 10-20.13 of this Code;
10        (30) (28) Section 28-19.2 of this Code; and
11        (31) (29) Section 34-21.6 of this Code; .
12        (32) (25) Section 22-85.10 of this Code; and .
13        (33) Section 28-22 of this Code.
14    The change made by Public Act 96-104 to this subsection
15(g) is declaratory of existing law.
16    (h) A charter school may negotiate and contract with a
17school district, the governing body of a State college or
18university or public community college, or any other public or
19for-profit or nonprofit private entity for: (i) the use of a
20school building and grounds or any other real property or
21facilities that the charter school desires to use or convert
22for use as a charter school site, (ii) the operation and
23maintenance thereof, and (iii) the provision of any service,
24activity, or undertaking that the charter school is required
25to perform in order to carry out the terms of its charter.
26However, a charter school that is established on or after

 

 

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1April 16, 2003 (the effective date of Public Act 93-3) and that
2operates in a city having a population exceeding 500,000 may
3not contract with a for-profit entity to manage or operate the
4school during the period that commences on April 16, 2003 (the
5effective date of Public Act 93-3) and concludes at the end of
6the 2004-2005 school year. Except as provided in subsection
7(i) of this Section, a school district may charge a charter
8school reasonable rent for the use of the district's
9buildings, grounds, and facilities. Any services for which a
10charter school contracts with a school district shall be
11provided by the district at cost. Any services for which a
12charter school contracts with a local school board or with the
13governing body of a State college or university or public
14community college shall be provided by the public entity at
15cost.
16    (i) In no event shall a charter school that is established
17by converting an existing school or attendance center to
18charter school status be required to pay rent for space that is
19deemed available, as negotiated and provided in the charter
20agreement, in school district facilities. However, all other
21costs for the operation and maintenance of school district
22facilities that are used by the charter school shall be
23subject to negotiation between the charter school and the
24local school board and shall be set forth in the charter.
25    (j) A charter school may limit student enrollment by age
26or grade level.

 

 

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1    (k) If the charter school is approved by the State Board or
2Commission, then the charter school is its own local education
3agency.
4(Source: P.A. 101-50, eff. 7-1-20; 101-81, eff. 7-12-19;
5101-291, eff. 1-1-20; 101-531, eff. 8-23-19; 101-543, eff.
68-23-19; 101-654, eff. 3-8-21; 102-51, eff. 7-9-21; 102-157,
7eff. 7-1-22; 102-360, eff. 1-1-22; 102-445, eff. 8-20-21;
8102-522, eff. 8-20-21; 102-558, eff. 8-20-21; 102-676, eff.
912-3-21; 102-697, eff. 4-5-22; 102-702, eff. 7-1-23; 102-805,
10eff. 1-1-23; 102-813, eff. 5-13-22; revised 8-16-22.)
 
11    (Text of Section after amendment by P.A. 102-466)
12    Sec. 27A-5. Charter school; legal entity; requirements.
13    (a) A charter school shall be a public, nonsectarian,
14nonreligious, non-home based, and non-profit school. A charter
15school shall be organized and operated as a nonprofit
16corporation or other discrete, legal, nonprofit entity
17authorized under the laws of the State of Illinois.
18    (b) A charter school may be established under this Article
19by creating a new school or by converting an existing public
20school or attendance center to charter school status.
21Beginning on April 16, 2003 (the effective date of Public Act
2293-3), in all new applications to establish a charter school
23in a city having a population exceeding 500,000, operation of
24the charter school shall be limited to one campus. The changes
25made to this Section by Public Act 93-3 do not apply to charter

 

 

HB1481- 27 -LRB103 03522 RJT 48528 b

1schools existing or approved on or before April 16, 2003 (the
2effective date of Public Act 93-3).
3    (b-5) In this subsection (b-5), "virtual-schooling" means
4a cyber school where students engage in online curriculum and
5instruction via the Internet and electronic communication with
6their teachers at remote locations and with students
7participating at different times.
8    From April 1, 2013 through December 31, 2016, there is a
9moratorium on the establishment of charter schools with
10virtual-schooling components in school districts other than a
11school district organized under Article 34 of this Code. This
12moratorium does not apply to a charter school with
13virtual-schooling components existing or approved prior to
14April 1, 2013 or to the renewal of the charter of a charter
15school with virtual-schooling components already approved
16prior to April 1, 2013.
17    (c) A charter school shall be administered and governed by
18its board of directors or other governing body in the manner
19provided in its charter. The governing body of a charter
20school shall be subject to the Freedom of Information Act and
21the Open Meetings Act. No later than January 1, 2021 (one year
22after the effective date of Public Act 101-291), a charter
23school's board of directors or other governing body must
24include at least one parent or guardian of a pupil currently
25enrolled in the charter school who may be selected through the
26charter school or a charter network election, appointment by

 

 

HB1481- 28 -LRB103 03522 RJT 48528 b

1the charter school's board of directors or other governing
2body, or by the charter school's Parent Teacher Organization
3or its equivalent.
4    (c-5) No later than January 1, 2021 (one year after the
5effective date of Public Act 101-291) or within the first year
6of his or her first term, every voting member of a charter
7school's board of directors or other governing body shall
8complete a minimum of 4 hours of professional development
9leadership training to ensure that each member has sufficient
10familiarity with the board's or governing body's role and
11responsibilities, including financial oversight and
12accountability of the school, evaluating the principal's and
13school's performance, adherence to the Freedom of Information
14Act and the Open Meetings Act, and compliance with education
15and labor law. In each subsequent year of his or her term, a
16voting member of a charter school's board of directors or
17other governing body shall complete a minimum of 2 hours of
18professional development training in these same areas. The
19training under this subsection may be provided or certified by
20a statewide charter school membership association or may be
21provided or certified by other qualified providers approved by
22the State Board of Education.
23    (d) For purposes of this subsection (d), "non-curricular
24health and safety requirement" means any health and safety
25requirement created by statute or rule to provide, maintain,
26preserve, or safeguard safe or healthful conditions for

 

 

HB1481- 29 -LRB103 03522 RJT 48528 b

1students and school personnel or to eliminate, reduce, or
2prevent threats to the health and safety of students and
3school personnel. "Non-curricular health and safety
4requirement" does not include any course of study or
5specialized instructional requirement for which the State
6Board has established goals and learning standards or which is
7designed primarily to impart knowledge and skills for students
8to master and apply as an outcome of their education.
9    A charter school shall comply with all non-curricular
10health and safety requirements applicable to public schools
11under the laws of the State of Illinois. On or before September
121, 2015, the State Board shall promulgate and post on its
13Internet website a list of non-curricular health and safety
14requirements that a charter school must meet. The list shall
15be updated annually no later than September 1. Any charter
16contract between a charter school and its authorizer must
17contain a provision that requires the charter school to follow
18the list of all non-curricular health and safety requirements
19promulgated by the State Board and any non-curricular health
20and safety requirements added by the State Board to such list
21during the term of the charter. Nothing in this subsection (d)
22precludes an authorizer from including non-curricular health
23and safety requirements in a charter school contract that are
24not contained in the list promulgated by the State Board,
25including non-curricular health and safety requirements of the
26authorizing local school board.

 

 

HB1481- 30 -LRB103 03522 RJT 48528 b

1    (e) Except as otherwise provided in the School Code, a
2charter school shall not charge tuition; provided that a
3charter school may charge reasonable fees for textbooks,
4instructional materials, and student activities.
5    (f) A charter school shall be responsible for the
6management and operation of its fiscal affairs, including, but
7not limited to, the preparation of its budget. An audit of each
8charter school's finances shall be conducted annually by an
9outside, independent contractor retained by the charter
10school. The contractor shall not be an employee of the charter
11school or affiliated with the charter school or its authorizer
12in any way, other than to audit the charter school's finances.
13To ensure financial accountability for the use of public
14funds, on or before December 1 of every year of operation, each
15charter school shall submit to its authorizer and the State
16Board a copy of its audit and a copy of the Form 990 the
17charter school filed that year with the federal Internal
18Revenue Service. In addition, if deemed necessary for proper
19financial oversight of the charter school, an authorizer may
20require quarterly financial statements from each charter
21school.
22    (g) A charter school shall comply with all provisions of
23this Article, the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act,
24all federal and State laws and rules applicable to public
25schools that pertain to special education and the instruction
26of English learners, and its charter. A charter school is

 

 

HB1481- 31 -LRB103 03522 RJT 48528 b

1exempt from all other State laws and regulations in this Code
2governing public schools and local school board policies;
3however, a charter school is not exempt from the following:
4        (1) Sections 10-21.9 and 34-18.5 of this Code
5    regarding criminal history records checks and checks of
6    the Statewide Sex Offender Database and Statewide Murderer
7    and Violent Offender Against Youth Database of applicants
8    for employment;
9        (2) Sections 10-20.14, 10-22.6, 24-24, 34-19, and
10    34-84a of this Code regarding discipline of students;
11        (3) the Local Governmental and Governmental Employees
12    Tort Immunity Act;
13        (4) Section 108.75 of the General Not For Profit
14    Corporation Act of 1986 regarding indemnification of
15    officers, directors, employees, and agents;
16        (5) the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act;
17        (5.5) subsection (b) of Section 10-23.12 and
18    subsection (b) of Section 34-18.6 of this Code;
19        (6) the Illinois School Student Records Act;
20        (7) Section 10-17a of this Code regarding school
21    report cards;
22        (8) the P-20 Longitudinal Education Data System Act;
23        (9) Section 27-23.7 of this Code regarding bullying
24    prevention;
25        (10) Section 2-3.162 of this Code regarding student
26    discipline reporting;

 

 

HB1481- 32 -LRB103 03522 RJT 48528 b

1        (11) Sections 22-80 and 27-8.1 of this Code;
2        (12) Sections 10-20.60 and 34-18.53 of this Code;
3        (13) Sections 10-20.63 and 34-18.56 of this Code;
4        (14) Sections 22-90 and 26-18 of this Code;
5        (15) Section 22-30 of this Code;
6        (16) Sections 24-12 and 34-85 of this Code;
7        (17) the Seizure Smart School Act;
8        (18) Section 2-3.64a-10 of this Code;
9        (19) Sections 10-20.73 and 34-21.9 of this Code;
10        (20) Section 10-22.25b of this Code;
11        (21) Section 27-9.1a of this Code;
12        (22) Section 27-9.1b of this Code;
13        (23) Section 34-18.8 of this Code;
14        (24) Article 26A of this Code; and
15        (25) Section 2-3.188 of this Code;
16        (26) Section 22-85.5 of this Code;
17        (27) subsections Subsections (d-10), (d-15), and
18    (d-20) of Section 10-20.56 of this Code; and
19        (28) Sections 10-20.83 and 34-18.78 of this Code; .
20        (29) (27) Section 10-20.13 of this Code;
21        (30) (28) Section 28-19.2 of this Code; and
22        (31) (29) Section 34-21.6 of this Code; .
23        (32) (25) Section 22-85.10 of this Code; and .
24        (33) Section 28-22 of this Code.
25    The change made by Public Act 96-104 to this subsection
26(g) is declaratory of existing law.

 

 

HB1481- 33 -LRB103 03522 RJT 48528 b

1    (h) A charter school may negotiate and contract with a
2school district, the governing body of a State college or
3university or public community college, or any other public or
4for-profit or nonprofit private entity for: (i) the use of a
5school building and grounds or any other real property or
6facilities that the charter school desires to use or convert
7for use as a charter school site, (ii) the operation and
8maintenance thereof, and (iii) the provision of any service,
9activity, or undertaking that the charter school is required
10to perform in order to carry out the terms of its charter.
11However, a charter school that is established on or after
12April 16, 2003 (the effective date of Public Act 93-3) and that
13operates in a city having a population exceeding 500,000 may
14not contract with a for-profit entity to manage or operate the
15school during the period that commences on April 16, 2003 (the
16effective date of Public Act 93-3) and concludes at the end of
17the 2004-2005 school year. Except as provided in subsection
18(i) of this Section, a school district may charge a charter
19school reasonable rent for the use of the district's
20buildings, grounds, and facilities. Any services for which a
21charter school contracts with a school district shall be
22provided by the district at cost. Any services for which a
23charter school contracts with a local school board or with the
24governing body of a State college or university or public
25community college shall be provided by the public entity at
26cost.

 

 

HB1481- 34 -LRB103 03522 RJT 48528 b

1    (i) In no event shall a charter school that is established
2by converting an existing school or attendance center to
3charter school status be required to pay rent for space that is
4deemed available, as negotiated and provided in the charter
5agreement, in school district facilities. However, all other
6costs for the operation and maintenance of school district
7facilities that are used by the charter school shall be
8subject to negotiation between the charter school and the
9local school board and shall be set forth in the charter.
10    (j) A charter school may limit student enrollment by age
11or grade level.
12    (k) If the charter school is approved by the State Board or
13Commission, then the charter school is its own local education
14agency.
15(Source: P.A. 101-50, eff. 7-1-20; 101-81, eff. 7-12-19;
16101-291, eff. 1-1-20; 101-531, eff. 8-23-19; 101-543, eff.
178-23-19; 101-654, eff. 3-8-21; 102-51, eff. 7-9-21; 102-157,
18eff. 7-1-22; 102-360, eff. 1-1-22; 102-445, eff. 8-20-21;
19102-466, eff. 7-1-25; 102-522, eff. 8-20-21; 102-558, eff.
208-20-21; 102-676, eff. 12-3-21; 102-697, eff. 4-5-22; 102-702,
21eff. 7-1-23; 102-805, eff. 1-1-23; 102-813, eff. 5-13-22;
22revised 8-16-22.)
 
23    (105 ILCS 5/28-22 new)
24    Sec. 28-22. Literature selection requirements.
25    (a) This Section may be referred to as the Pierce Twins

 

 

HB1481- 35 -LRB103 03522 RJT 48528 b

1Law.
2    (b) To ensure that students in grades kindergarten through
312 receive exposure to diverse peoples, cultures, and
4backgrounds to better develop tolerance, understanding,
5appreciation, and acceptance of others, a school district
6shall require that books that are included as a part of any
7course, material, instruction, reading assignment, or other
8school curricula related to literature during the school year
9or that appear on summer reading lists must include books that
10are written by diverse authors, including, but not limited to,
11authors who are African American, women, Native American,
12LatinX, and Asian. Reading material may not perpetuate bias
13against persons based on, but not limited to, any of the
14following the categories:
15        (1) Ability.
16        (2) Race.
17        (3) Language.
18        (4) Beliefs.
19        (5) Gender.
20        (6) Culture.
21        (7) Family dynamics.
22        (8) Socioeconomic status.
23    (c) For any school district utilizing federal funds under
24Title I, Part A of the federal Elementary and Secondary
25Education Act of 1965, the selection of each book to be
26included in a reading assignment, course material and

 

 

HB1481- 36 -LRB103 03522 RJT 48528 b

1instruction, or other school curricula related to literature
2must first receive prior approval from the school board before
3the book may be included. The criteria for the approval or
4denial of a book shall be determined by school board policy,
5but the minimum requirement is that the book may not be
6approved by the school board if the book contains language or
7material that is derogatory or racist or incites hate against
8any persons.
9    (d) The State Board of Education shall adopt any rules and
10guidelines necessary to implement this Section.
 
11    Section 95. No acceleration or delay. Where this Act makes
12changes in a statute that is represented in this Act by text
13that is not yet or no longer in effect (for example, a Section
14represented by multiple versions), the use of that text does
15not accelerate or delay the taking effect of (i) the changes
16made by this Act or (ii) provisions derived from any other
17Public Act.
 
18    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
19becoming law.