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HB0200 Engrossed |
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LRB095 03754 RAS 23783 b |
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| AN ACT concerning education.
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| Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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| represented in the General Assembly:
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| Section 5. The School Code is amended by adding Section |
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| 34-18.34 as follows:
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| (105 ILCS 5/34-18.34 new) |
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| Sec. 34-18.34. Closure of schools.
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| (a) The General Assembly recognizes that a school is a |
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| major institution in a community with many resources, |
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| opportunities, and stakeholders, not the least of whom are the |
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| families with children who seek and deserve a quality |
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| education. It is the intention of the General Assembly to |
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| ensure that (i) a school is closed only at the end of a school |
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| year and only when necessary in the interests of the children |
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| to do so; (ii) the community has a voice in such decisions; and |
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| (iii) all students thereby displaced are protected. |
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| (b) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Code, no |
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| school in the district may be closed except as provided in this |
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| Section. A school is eligible for closure only if closure is |
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| necessary to best serve the school-age children of that |
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| community and the board does the following: |
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| (1) adopts and relies upon measurable criteria for |
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| school closings developed in conjunction with local school |
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HB0200 Engrossed |
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LRB095 03754 RAS 23783 b |
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| councils throughout the district; |
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| (2) applies the criteria consistently throughout the |
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| district; and |
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| (3) fully and timely discloses to stakeholders and the |
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| public all information relevant to the criteria, including |
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| information that tends to support or refute the fact that |
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| the criteria are met. |
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| (c) The board must announce any recommendations for closure |
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| at least 6 months before the date of a board vote on closure. A |
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| final vote on school closure for any school proposed to be |
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| closed at the end of the school year must be taken no later |
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| than 30 days before the application deadline for entry into the |
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| district's schools of choice for the following school year. |
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| (d) Before a vote on closure, the board must conduct 3 |
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| public hearings.
The time and place of each hearing must be |
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| chosen to
ensure maximum participation of the local community, |
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| school staff, and the families whose children are in attendance |
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| at the school. Information and testimony provided at these |
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| hearings, together with the information disclosed under item |
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| (3) of subsection (b) of this Section shall form the basis for |
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| the board's subsequent school closure vote. |
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| (e) Whenever a school is scheduled for closing in |
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| accordance with this Section, the district must provide to each |
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| student to be affected by the closure, including the elementary |
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| students in feeder schools of a closing high school, the choice |
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| to enroll in another suitable school that has been determined |
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HB0200 Engrossed |
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LRB095 03754 RAS 23783 b |
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| to have met adequate yearly progress, as that term is defined |
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| in the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, for at least 2 |
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| years preceding the year in which closure is achieved. Once |
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| enrolled therein, a student shall retain the right to remain in |
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| the school selected for the duration of the school's program |
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| and must be provided, if necessary, transportation suitable for |
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| the student to permit continued attendance. |
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| (f) Transitional services must be provided to all students |
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| displaced by closure of a school. These services must include, |
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| at a minimum, an assessment of the student's educational needs |
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| and related social needs prior to the school's closure and |
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| involvement of the parents or guardians in a child-centered |
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| process for transferring from the closing school and entering |
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| and integrating into the new receiving school. The performance |
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| of displaced students must be monitored individually and |
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| tracked to ensure that student needs are timely met. Any |
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| receiving school shall be provided adequate resources to meet |
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| the requirements of this Section. |
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| (g) The district must prepare and publish an annual report |
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| on the impacts of school closings on both the student |
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| population reassigned as a result of a school closing and the |
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| student population in the receiving schools.
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| Section 90. The State Mandates Act is amended by adding |
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| Section 8.31 as follows:
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