Illinois General Assembly - Illinois Compiled Statutes

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105 ILCS 5/27-21

(105 ILCS 5/27-21) (from Ch. 122, par. 27-21)

Sec. 27-21. History of United States.

History of the United States shall be taught in all public schools and
in all other educational institutions in this State supported or
maintained, in whole or in part, by public funds. The teaching of history
shall have as one of its objectives the imparting to pupils of a
comprehensive idea of our democratic form of government and the principles
for which our government stands as regards other nations, including the
studying of the place of our government in world-wide movements and the
leaders thereof, with particular stress upon the basic principles and
ideals of our representative form of government. The teaching of history
shall include a study of the role and contributions of African Americans and
other ethnic groups, including, but not restricted to, Polish, Lithuanian, German,
Hungarian, Irish, Bohemian, Russian, Albanian, Italian, Czech, Slovak,
French, Scots, Hispanics, Asian Americans, etc., in the history of this
country and this
State. To reinforce the study of the role and contributions of Hispanics, such curriculum shall include the study of the events related to the forceful removal and illegal deportation of Mexican-American U.S. citizens during the Great Depression. In public schools only, the teaching of history shall include a study of the roles and contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in the history of this country and this State. The teaching of history also shall include a study of the
role of labor unions and their interaction with government in achieving the
goals of a mixed free enterprise system.  Beginning with the 2020-2021 school year, the teaching of history must also include instruction on the history of Illinois. The teaching of history shall include the contributions made to society by Americans of different faith practices, including, but not limited to, Muslim Americans, Jewish Americans, Christian Americans, Hindu Americans, Sikh Americans, Buddhist Americans, and any other collective community of faith that has shaped America. No pupils shall be graduated
from the eighth grade of any
public school unless he or she has received such instruction in the history of the
United States and gives evidence of having a comprehensive knowledge
thereof, which may be administered remotely.

(Source: P.A. 101-227, eff. 7-1-20; 101-341, eff. 1-1-20; 101-643, eff. 6-18-20; 102-411, eff. 1-1-22.)