103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024
SB2987

 

Introduced 1/31/2024, by Sen. Meg Loughran Cappel

 

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

    Amends the School Boards Article of the School Code. Provides that, in addition to required professional development leadership training, every voting member of a school board of a school district elected or appointed for a term beginning after the effective date of the amendatory Act shall complete a minimum of 3 hours of training every 2 years on continuous improvement planning and leveraging instruction, funding, and support to improve student outcomes. Provides that this training must be completed within one year after the effective date of the amendatory Act or the first year of a school board member's term and must be completed at least every 2 years thereafter. Provides that, subject to the requirements of the Open Meetings Act, school board members may take this training together. Provides that the training may be provided by an association established under the Code for the purpose of training school board members or by other qualified providers approved by the State Board of Education, in consultation with an association so established.


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STATE MANDATES ACT MAY REQUIRE REIMBURSEMENT
MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

SB2987LRB103 36145 RJT 66237 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
510-16a as follows:
 
6    (105 ILCS 5/10-16a)
7    Sec. 10-16a. School board member's leadership training.
8    (a) This Section applies to all school board members
9serving pursuant to Section 10-10 of this Code who have been
10elected after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the
1197th General Assembly or appointed to fill a vacancy of at
12least one year's duration after the effective date of this
13amendatory Act of the 97th General Assembly.
14    (a-5) In this Section, "trauma" has the meaning ascribed
15to that term in subsection (b) of Section 3-11 of this Code.
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

 

 

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1accountability, fiduciary responsibilities of a school board
2member, and, beginning with the 2023-2024 school year,
3trauma-informed practices for students and staff. The school
4district shall maintain on its Internet website, if any, the
5names of all voting members of the school board who have
6successfully 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    (c) The training on financial oversight, accountability,
6fiduciary responsibilities, and, beginning with the 2023-2024
72023-24 school year, trauma-informed practices for students
8and staff may be provided by an association established under
9this Code for the purpose of training school board members or
10by other qualified providers approved by the State Board of
11Education, in consultation with an association so established.
12    (c-5) In addition to the training required under
13subsection (b), every voting member of a school board of a
14school district elected or appointed for a term beginning
15after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 103rd
16General Assembly shall complete a minimum of 3 hours of
17training every 2 years on continuous improvement planning and
18leveraging instruction, funding, and support to improve
19student outcomes. This training must be completed within one
20year after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the
21103rd General Assembly or the first year of a school board
22member's term and must be completed at least every 2 years
23thereafter. Subject to the requirements of the Open Meetings
24Act, school board members may take this training together. The
25training set forth in this subsection may be provided by an
26association established under this Code for the purpose of

 

 

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1training school board members or by other qualified providers
2approved by the State Board of Education, in consultation with
3an association so established.
4    (d) The State Board of Education may adopt rules that are
5necessary for the administration of the provisions of this
6Section.
7(Source: P.A. 102-638, eff. 1-1-23; 103-413, eff. 1-1-24.)