Public Act 102-0584
 
HB0004 EnrolledLRB102 02610 CMG 12613 b

    AN ACT concerning education.
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Section
10-20.56 as follows:
 
    (105 ILCS 5/10-20.56)
    Sec. 10-20.56. E-learning days.
    (a) The State Board of Education shall establish and
maintain, for implementation in school districts, a program
for use of electronic-learning (e-learning) days, as described
in this Section. School districts may utilize a program
approved under this Section for use during remote learning
days and blended remote learning days under Section 10-30 or
34-18.66.
    (b) The school board of a school district may, by
resolution, adopt a research-based program or research-based
programs for e-learning days district-wide that shall permit
student instruction to be received electronically while
students are not physically present in lieu of the district's
scheduled emergency days as required by Section 10-19 of this
Code or because a school was selected to be a polling place
under Section 11-4.1 of the Election Code. The research-based
program or programs may not exceed the minimum number of
emergency days in the approved school calendar and must be
verified by the regional office of education or intermediate
service center for the school district on or before September
1st annually to ensure access for all students. The regional
office of education or intermediate service center shall
ensure that the specific needs of all students are met,
including special education students and English learners, and
that all mandates are still met using the proposed
research-based program. The e-learning program may utilize the
Internet, telephones, texts, chat rooms, or other similar
means of electronic communication for instruction and
interaction between teachers and students that meet the needs
of all learners. The e-learning program shall address the
school district's responsibility to ensure that all teachers
and staff who may be involved in the provision of e-learning
have access to any and all hardware and software that may be
required for the program. If a proposed program does not
address this responsibility, the school district must propose
an alternate program.
    (c) Before its adoption by a school board, the school
board must hold a public hearing on a school district's
initial proposal for an e-learning program or for renewal of
such a program, at a regular or special meeting of the school
board, in which the terms of the proposal must be
substantially presented and an opportunity for allowing public
comments must be provided. Notice of such public hearing must
be provided at least 10 days prior to the hearing by:
        (1) publication in a newspaper of general circulation
    in the school district;
        (2) written or electronic notice designed to reach the
    parents or guardians of all students enrolled in the
    school district; and
        (3) written or electronic notice designed to reach any
    exclusive collective bargaining representatives of school
    district employees and all those employees not in a
    collective bargaining unit.
    (d) The regional office of education or intermediate
service center for the school district must timely verify that
a proposal for an e-learning program has met the requirements
specified in this Section and that the proposal contains
provisions designed to reasonably and practicably accomplish
the following:
        (1) to ensure and verify at least 5 clock hours of
    instruction or school work, as required under Section
    10-19.05, for each student participating in an e-learning
    day;
        (2) to ensure access from home or other appropriate
    remote facility for all students participating, including
    computers, the Internet, and other forms of electronic
    communication that must be utilized in the proposed
    program;
        (2.5) to ensure that non-electronic materials are made
    available to students participating in the program who do
    not have access to the required technology or to
    participating teachers or students who are prevented from
    accessing the required technology;
        (3) to ensure appropriate learning opportunities for
    students with special needs;
        (4) to monitor and verify each student's electronic
    participation;
        (5) to address the extent to which student
    participation is within the student's control as to the
    time, pace, and means of learning;
        (6) to provide effective notice to students and their
    parents or guardians of the use of particular days for
    e-learning;
        (7) to provide staff and students with adequate
    training for e-learning days' participation;
        (8) to ensure an opportunity for any collective
    bargaining negotiations with representatives of the school
    district's employees that would be legally required,
    including all classifications of school district employees
    who are represented by collective bargaining agreements
    and who would be affected in the event of an e-learning
    day;
        (9) to review and revise the program as implemented to
    address difficulties confronted; and
        (10) to ensure that the protocol regarding general
    expectations and responsibilities of the program is
    communicated to teachers, staff, and students at least 30
    days prior to utilizing an e-learning day.
    The school board's approval of a school district's initial
e-learning program and renewal of the e-learning program shall
be for a term of 3 years.
    (d-5) A school district shall pay to its contractors who
provide educational support services to the district,
including, but not limited to, custodial, transportation, or
food service providers, their daily, regular rate of pay or
billings rendered for any e-learning day that is used because
a school was selected to be a polling place under Section
11-4.1 of the Election Code, except that this requirement does
not apply to contractors who are paid under contracts that are
entered into, amended, or renewed on or after March 15, 2022 or
to contracts that otherwise address compensation for such
e-learning days.
    (e) The State Board of Education may adopt rules
consistent with the provision of this Section.
(Source: P.A. 100-760, eff. 8-10-18; 101-12, eff. 7-1-19;
101-643, eff. 6-18-20.)