HB5275 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB103 37204 RJT 67323 b

103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024
HB5275

Introduced 2/9/2024, by Rep. Suzanne M. Ness

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

105 ILCS 10/2	from Ch. 122, par. 50-2
105 ILCS 10/5	from Ch. 122, par. 50-5

Amends the Illinois School Student Records Act. Provides that the term "Student Permanent Record" may include reports of psychological evaluations, including information on intelligence and personality, academic information obtained through test administration, observation, or interviews, elementary and secondary achievement-level test results, special education records, and records associated with a plan developed under Section 504 of the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973. With respect to the term "Student Permanent Record", removes intelligence test scores, aptitude test scores, psychological and personality test results, teacher evaluations, and other information of clear relevance to the education of a student from the information allowed to be included. Provides that if consent is provided by a student or the student's parent or guardian, then a copy of the student's school student records shall be provided at no cost to the Guardianship and Advocacy Commission, an independent service coordination agency, or Equip for Equality to establish access to adult disability services and related benefits.

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 Illinois School Student Records Act is amended by changing Sections 2 and 5 as follows:

(105 ILCS 10/2) (from Ch. 122, par. 50-2)

(Text of Section before amendment by P.A. 102-466)

Sec. 2. As used in this Act:

(a) "Student" means any person enrolled or previously enrolled in a school.

(b) "School" means any public preschool, day care center, kindergarten, nursery, elementary or secondary educational institution, vocational school, special educational facility or any other elementary or secondary educational agency or institution and any person, agency or institution which maintains school student records from more than one school, but does not include a private or non-public school.

(c) "State Board" means the State Board of Education.

(d) "School Student Record" means any writing or other recorded information concerning a student and by which a student may be individually identified, maintained by a school or at its direction or by an employee of a school, regardless of how or where the information is stored. The following shall not be deemed school student records under this Act: writings or other recorded information maintained by an employee of a school or other person at the direction of a school for his or her exclusive use; provided that all such writings and other recorded information are destroyed not later than the student's graduation or permanent withdrawal from the school; and provided further that no such records or recorded information may be released or disclosed to any person except a person designated by the school as a substitute unless they are first incorporated in a school student record and made subject to all of the provisions of this Act. School student records shall not include information maintained by law enforcement professionals working in the school.

(e) "Student Permanent Record" means the minimum personal information necessary to a school in the education of the student and contained in a school student record. Such information may include the student's name, birth date, address, grades, and grade level, parents' names and addresses, attendance records, reports of psychological evaluations, including information on intelligence and personality, academic information obtained through test administration, observation, or interviews, elementary and secondary achievement-level test results, special education records, records associated with a plan developed under Section 504 of the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and such other entries as the State Board may require or authorize.

(f) "Student Temporary Record" means all information contained in a school student record but not contained in the student permanent record. Such information may include family background information, intelligence test scores, aptitude test scores, psychological and personality test results, teacher evaluations, and other information of clear relevance to the education of the student, all subject to regulations of the State Board. The information shall include information provided under Section 8.6 of the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act and information contained in service logs maintained by a local education agency under subsection (d) of Section 14-8.02f of the School Code. In addition, the student temporary record shall include information regarding serious disciplinary infractions that resulted in expulsion, suspension, or the imposition of punishment or sanction. For purposes of this provision, serious disciplinary infractions means: infractions involving drugs, weapons, or bodily harm to another.

(g) "Parent" means a person who is the natural parent of the student or other person who has the primary responsibility for the care and upbringing of the student. All rights and privileges accorded to a parent under this Act shall become exclusively those of the student upon his 18th birthday, graduation from secondary school, marriage or entry into military service, whichever occurs first. Such rights and privileges may also be exercised by the student at any time with respect to the student's permanent school record.

(h) "Department" means the Department of Children and Family Services.

(Source: P.A. 101-515, eff. 8-23-19; 102-199, eff. 7-1-22; 102-558, eff. 8-20-21; 102-813, eff. 5-13-22.)

(Text of Section after amendment by P.A. 102-466)

Sec. 2. As used in this Act:

(a) "Student" means any person enrolled or previously enrolled in a school.

(b) "School" means any public preschool, day care center, kindergarten, nursery, elementary or secondary educational institution, vocational school, special educational facility or any other elementary or secondary educational agency or institution and any person, agency or institution which maintains school student records from more than one school, but does not include a private or non-public school.

(c) "State Board" means the State Board of Education.

(d) "School Student Record" means any writing or other recorded information concerning a student and by which a student may be individually identified, maintained by a school or at its direction or by an employee of a school, regardless of how or where the information is stored. The following shall not be deemed school student records under this Act: writings or other recorded information maintained by an employee of a school or other person at the direction of a school for his or her exclusive use; provided that all such writings and other recorded information are destroyed not later than the student's graduation or permanent withdrawal from the school; and provided further that no such records or recorded information may be released or disclosed to any person except a person designated by the school as a substitute unless they are first incorporated in a school student record and made subject to all of the provisions of this Act. School student records shall not include information maintained by law enforcement professionals working in the school.

(e) "Student Permanent Record" means the minimum personal information necessary to a school in the education of the student and contained in a school student record. Such information may include the student's name, birth date, address, grades, and grade level, parents' names and addresses, attendance records, reports of psychological evaluations, including information on intelligence and personality, academic information obtained through test administration, observation, or interviews, elementary and secondary achievement-level test results, special education records, records associated with a plan developed under Section 504 of the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and such other entries as the State Board may require or authorize.

(f) "Student Temporary Record" means all information contained in a school student record but not contained in the student permanent record. Such information may include family background information, intelligence test scores, aptitude test scores, psychological and personality test results, teacher evaluations, and other information of clear relevance to the education of the student, all subject to regulations of the State Board. The information shall include all of the following:

(1) Information provided under Section 8.6 of the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act and information contained in service logs maintained by a local education agency under subsection (d) of Section 14-8.02f of the School Code.

(2) Information regarding serious disciplinary infractions that resulted in expulsion, suspension, or the imposition of punishment or sanction. For purposes of this provision, serious disciplinary infractions means: infractions involving drugs, weapons, or bodily harm to another.

(3) Information concerning a student's status and related experiences as a parent, expectant parent, or victim of domestic or sexual violence, as defined in Article 26A of the School Code, including a statement of the student or any other documentation, record, or corroborating evidence and the fact that the student has requested or obtained assistance, support, or services related to that status. Enforcement of this paragraph (3) shall follow the procedures provided in Section 26A-40 of the School Code.

(g) "Parent" means a person who is the natural parent of the student or other person who has the primary responsibility for the care and upbringing of the student. All rights and privileges accorded to a parent under this Act shall become exclusively those of the student upon his 18th birthday, graduation from secondary school, marriage or entry into military service, whichever occurs first. Such rights and privileges may also be exercised by the student at any time with respect to the student's permanent school record.

(h) "Department" means the Department of Children and Family Services.

(Source: P.A. 101-515, eff. 8-23-19; 102-199, eff. 7-1-22; 102-466, eff. 7-1-25; 102-558, eff. 8-20-21; 102-813, eff. 5-13-22.)

(105 ILCS 10/5) (from Ch. 122, par. 50-5)

Sec. 5. (a) A parent or any person specifically designated as a representative by a parent and, if the child is in the legal custody of the Department of Children and Family Services, the Department's Office of Education and Transition Services shall have the right to inspect and copy all school student permanent and temporary records of that child. A student shall have the right to inspect and copy his or her school student permanent record. No person who is prohibited by an order of protection from inspecting or obtaining school records of a student pursuant to the Illinois Domestic Violence Act of 1986, as now or hereafter amended, shall have any right of access to, or inspection of, the school records of that student. If a school's principal or person with like responsibilities or his designee has knowledge of such order of protection, the school shall prohibit access or inspection of the student's school records by such person.

(b) Whenever access to any person is granted pursuant to paragraph (a) of this Section, at the option of that person or the school, a qualified professional, who may be a psychologist, counsellor or other advisor, and who may be an employee of the school or employed by the parent or the Department, may be present to interpret the information contained in the student temporary record. If the school requires that a professional be present, the school shall secure and bear any cost of the presence of the professional. If the parent or the Department so requests, the school shall secure and bear any cost of the presence of a professional employed by the school.

(c) A parent's or student's or, if applicable, the Department's Office of Education and Transition Services' request to inspect and copy records, or to allow a specifically designated representative to inspect and copy records, must be granted within a reasonable time, and in no case later than 10 business days after the date of receipt of such request by the official records custodian.

(c-5) The time for response under this Section may be extended by the school district by not more than 5 business days from the original due date for any of the following reasons:

(1) the requested records are stored in whole or in part at other locations than the office having charge of the requested records;

(2) the request requires the collection of a substantial number of specified records;

(3) the request is couched in categorical terms and requires an extensive search for the records responsive to it;

(4) the requested records have not been located in the course of routine search and additional efforts are being made to locate them;

(5) the request for records cannot be complied with by the school district within the time limits prescribed by subsection (c) of this Section without unduly burdening or interfering with the operations of the school district; or

(6) there is a need for consultation, which shall be conducted with all practicable speed, with another public body or school district or among 2 or more components of a public body or school district having a substantial interest in the determination or in the subject matter of the request.

The person making a request and the school district may agree in writing to extend the time for compliance for a period to be determined by the parties. If the requester and the school district agree to extend the period for compliance, a failure by the school district to comply with any previous deadlines shall not be treated as a denial of the request for the records.

(d) The school may charge its reasonable costs for the copying of school student records, not to exceed the amounts fixed in schedules adopted by the State Board, to any person permitted to copy such records, except that no parent or student shall be denied a copy of school student records as permitted under this Section 5 for inability to bear the cost of such copying. If consent is provided by a student or the student's parent or guardian, then a copy of the student's school student records shall be provided at no cost to the Guardianship and Advocacy Commission, an independent service coordination agency, or Equip for Equality to establish access to adult disability services and related benefits.

(e) Nothing contained in this Section 5 shall make available to a parent or student or, if applicable, the Department's Office of Education and Transition Services confidential letters and statements of recommendation furnished in connection with applications for employment to a post-secondary educational institution or the receipt of an honor or honorary recognition, provided such letters and statements are not used for purposes other than those for which they were specifically intended, and

(1) were placed in a school student record prior to January 1, 1975; or

(2) the student has waived access thereto after being advised of his right to obtain upon request the names of all such persons making such confidential recommendations.

(f) Nothing contained in this Act shall be construed to impair or limit the confidentiality of:

(1) Communications otherwise protected by law as privileged or confidential, including but not limited to, information communicated in confidence to a physician, psychologist or other psychotherapist, school social worker, school counselor, school psychologist, or school social worker, school counselor, or school psychologist intern who works under the direct supervision of a school social worker, school counselor, or school psychologist; or

(2) Information which is communicated by a student or parent in confidence to school personnel; or

(3) Information which is communicated by a student, parent, or guardian to a law enforcement professional working in the school, except as provided by court order.

(g) No school employee shall be subjected to adverse employment action, the threat of adverse employment action, or any manner of discrimination because the employee is acting or has acted to protect communications as privileged or confidential pursuant to applicable provisions of State or federal law or rule or regulation.

(Source: P.A. 102-199, eff. 7-1-22.)

Section 95. No acceleration or delay. Where this Act makes changes in a statute that is represented in this Act by text that is not yet or no longer in effect (for example, a Section represented by multiple versions), the use of that text does not accelerate or delay the taking effect of (i) the changes made by this Act or (ii) provisions derived from any other Public Act.