Public Act 0837 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HB4895 Enrolled LRB103 36482 RJT 66586 b

Public Act 103-0837

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 27-13.1 as follows:

(105 ILCS 5/27-13.1) (from Ch. 122, par. 27-13.1)

Sec. 27-13.1. Environmental education.

(a) In every public school there shall be instruction, study and discussion of current problems and needs in the conservation of natural resources, including but not limited to air pollution, water pollution, waste reduction and recycling, the effects of excessive use of pesticides, preservation of wilderness areas, forest management, protection of wildlife and humane care of domestic animals.

(b) Beginning with the 2026-2027 school year, every public school shall provide instruction on climate change, which shall include, but not be limited to, identifying the environmental and ecological impacts of climate change on individuals and communities and evaluating solutions for addressing and mitigating the impact of climate change and shall be in alignment with State learning standards, as appropriate.

The State Board of Education shall, subject to appropriation, prepare and make available multi-disciplinary instructional resources and professional learning opportunities for educators that may be used to meet the requirements of this subsection (b).

(Source: P.A. 86-229.)

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1, 2025.