103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024
SB0098

 

Introduced 1/24/2023, by Sen. Karina Villa

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
105 ILCS 5/10-16a

    Amends the School Code. Provides that beginning with the 2024-2025 school year, LGBTQ+ inclusivity training shall be required as part of the professional development leadership training for school board members. Provides that the training regarding LGBTQ+ inclusivity practices must include information that is relevant to and within the scope of the duties of a school board member. Provides that such information may include, but is not limited to: (1) understanding the difference between sex, gender, and sexual orientation; (2) knowledge of family structures beyond the heteronormative structure; (3) nondiscriminatory education on the basis of gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, and sexual behavior; (4) understanding the struggles of LGBTQ+ youth in schools; (5) the contributions of LGBTQ+ individuals regarding history, social sciences, arts, and humanities; and (6) the effects and risks of outing a student's gender identity or sexual orientation to the student's parents.


LRB103 25867 RJT 52218 b

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

SB0098LRB103 25867 RJT 52218 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 1. Findings and purpose.
5    (a) The General Assembly finds that:
6        (1) research confirms that there are negative effects
7    associated with a lack of a healthy and inclusive learning
8    environment;
9        (2) the Trevor Project's National Survey on LGBTQ
10    Youth Mental Health in 2019 showed that LGBTQ+ youth who
11    reported having at least one accepting adult in their
12    lives were 40% less likely to report a suicide attempt in
13    the past year;
14        (3) by giving school board members the necessary tools
15    and insight on understanding their LGBTQ+ students better,
16    policies can be implemented by the school board that
17    protect those students and make them more comfortable in
18    school; and
19        (4) it is of the utmost importance that students feel
20    comfortable and safe and are protected in their learning
21    environment, which sets students up for success.
22    (b) It is the purpose of this Act to create an
23understanding of the challenges LGBTQ+ individuals face and to
24clarify language and terminology. This recognition of the

 

 

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1issues faced by the LGBTQ+ community in schools would aid
2school board members with addressing those issues and
3bettering students as the school board members would be more
4aware of the challenges faced by different groups in their
5community.
 
6    Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Section
710-16a as follows:
 
8    (105 ILCS 5/10-16a)
9    Sec. 10-16a. School board member's leadership training.
10    (a) This Section applies to all school board members
11serving pursuant to Section 10-10 of this Code who have been
12elected after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the
1397th General Assembly or appointed to fill a vacancy of at
14least one year's duration after the effective date of this
15amendatory Act of the 97th General Assembly.
16    (b) Every voting member of a school board of a school
17district elected or appointed for a term beginning after the
18effective date of this amendatory Act of the 97th General
19Assembly, within a year after the effective date of this
20amendatory Act of the 97th General Assembly or the first year
21of his or her first term, shall complete a minimum of 4 hours
22of professional development leadership training covering
23topics in education and labor law, financial oversight and
24accountability, fiduciary responsibilities of a school board

 

 

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1member, and, beginning with the 2023-2024 school year,
2trauma-informed practices for students and staff, and,
3beginning with the 2024-2025 school year, LGBTQ+ inclusivity.
4The school district shall maintain on its Internet website, if
5any, the names of all voting members of the school board who
6have successfully completed the training.
7    (b-5) The training regarding trauma-informed practices for
8students and staff required by this Section must include
9information that is relevant to and within the scope of the
10duties of a school board member. Such information may include,
11but is not limited to:
12        (1) the recognition of and care for trauma in students
13    and staff;
14        (2) the relationship between staff wellness and
15    student learning;
16        (3) the effect of trauma on student behavior and
17    learning;
18        (4) the prevalence of trauma among students, including
19    the prevalence of trauma among student populations at
20    higher risk of experiencing trauma;
21        (5) the effects of implicit or explicit bias on
22    recognizing trauma among various student groups in
23    connection with race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual
24    orientation, socio-economic status, and other relevant
25    factors; and
26        (6) effective district and school practices that are

 

 

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1    shown to:
2            (A) prevent and mitigate the negative effect of
3        trauma on student behavior and learning; and
4            (B) support the emotional wellness of staff.
5    (b-10) As used in this subsection:
6    "Family structure" means the combination of persons that
7comprises a family, including the presence or absence of
8legally married spouses or cohabitating non-married partners.
9    "Gender" means a socially constructed identity centering
10around notions of masculinity, femininity, and androgyny,
11which includes aspects of identity and expression.
12    "Gender expression" means the way in which people express
13their gender identity.
14    "Heteronormative structure" means denoting or relating to
15a world view that promotes heterosexuality as the normal or
16preferred sexual orientation.
17    "Sex" means a medical label used to categorize people
18according to their chromosomes, hormones, genitalia, and
19secondary sex characteristics, usually assigned at birth as
20male or female by a doctor, although there are many variations
21outside of that socially constructed binary, such as intersex.
22    "Sexual behavior" means all activities that gratify an
23individual's sexual needs.
24    "Sexual orientation" means an aspect of an individual's
25identity that determines whom the individual focuses the
26individual's sexual or erotic drives, desires, and fantasies

 

 

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1toward.
2    The training regarding LGBTQ+ inclusivity required by this
3Section must include information that is relevant to and
4within the scope of the duties of a school board member. Such
5information may include, but is not limited to:
6        (1) understanding the difference between sex, gender,
7    and sexual orientation;
8        (2) knowledge of family structures beyond the
9    heteronormative structure;
10        (3) nondiscriminatory education on the basis of
11    gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual
12    orientation, and sexual behavior;
13        (4) understanding the struggles of LGBTQ+ youth in
14    schools;
15        (5) the contributions of LGBTQ+ individuals regarding
16    history, social sciences, arts, and humanities; and
17        (6) the effects and risks of outing a student's gender
18    identity or sexual orientation to the student's parents.
19    (c) The training on financial oversight, accountability,
20fiduciary responsibilities, and, beginning with the 2023-2024
212023-24 school year, trauma-informed practices for students
22and staff, and, beginning with the 2024-2025 school year,
23LGBTQ+ inclusivity may be provided by an association
24established under this Code for the purpose of training school
25board members or by other qualified providers approved by the
26State Board of Education, in consultation with an association

 

 

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1so established.
2    (d) The State Board of Education may adopt rules that are
3necessary for the administration of the provisions of this
4Section.
5(Source: P.A. 102-638, eff. 1-1-23.)