(105 ILCS 5/22-95)

(Text of Section from P.A. 103-413)

(Section scheduled to be repealed on February 1, 2029)

Sec. 22-95. Whole Child Task Force.

(a) The General Assembly makes all of the following findings:

(1) The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed systemic inequities in American society. Students, educators, and families throughout this State have been deeply affected by the pandemic, and the impact of the pandemic will be felt for years to come. The negative consequences of the pandemic have impacted students and communities differently along the lines of race, income, language, and special needs. However, students in this State faced significant unmet physical health, mental health, and social and emotional needs even prior to the pandemic.

(2) The path to recovery requires a commitment from adults in this State to address our students cultural, physical, emotional, and mental health needs and to provide them with stronger and increased systemic support and intervention.

(3) It is well documented that trauma and toxic stress diminish a child's ability to thrive. Forms of childhood trauma and toxic stress include adverse childhood experiences, systemic racism, poverty, food and housing insecurity, and gender-based violence. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated these issues and brought them into focus.

(4) It is estimated that, overall, approximately 40% of children in this State have experienced at least one adverse childhood experience and approximately 10% have experienced 3 or more adverse childhood experiences. However, the number of adverse childhood experiences is higher for Black and Hispanic children who are growing up in poverty. The COVID-19 pandemic has amplified the number of students who have experienced childhood trauma. Also, the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted preexisting inequities in school disciplinary practices that disproportionately impact Black and Brown students. Research shows, for example, that girls of color are disproportionately impacted by trauma, adversity, and abuse, and instead of receiving the care and trauma-informed support they may need, many Black girls in particular face disproportionately harsh disciplinary measures.

(5) The cumulative effects of trauma and toxic stress adversely impact the physical health of students, as well as the students' ability to learn, form relationships, and self-regulate. If left unaddressed, these effects increase a student's risk for depression, alcoholism, anxiety, asthma, smoking, and suicide, all of which are risks that disproportionately affect Black youth and may lead to a host of medical diseases as an adult. Access to infant and early childhood mental health services is critical to ensure the social and emotional well-being of this State's youngest children, particularly those children who have experienced trauma.

(6) Although this State enacted measures through Public Act 100-105 to address the high rate of early care and preschool expulsions of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers and the disproportionately higher rate of expulsion for Black and Hispanic children, a recent study found a wide variation in the awareness, understanding, and compliance with the law by providers of early childhood care. Further work is needed to implement the law, which includes providing training to early childhood care providers to increase the providers' understanding of the law, increasing the availability and access to infant and early childhood mental health services, and building aligned data collection systems to better understand expulsion rates and to allow for accurate reporting as required by the law.

(7) Many educators and schools in this State have embraced and implemented evidence-based restorative justice and trauma-responsive and culturally relevant practices and interventions. However, the use of these interventions on students is often isolated or is implemented occasionally and only if the school has the appropriate leadership, resources, and partners available to engage seriously in this work. It would be malpractice to deny our students access to these practices and interventions, especially in the aftermath of a once-in-a-century pandemic.

(b) The Whole Child Task Force created by Public Act 101-654 is reestablished for the purpose of establishing an equitable, inclusive, safe, and supportive environment in all schools for every student in this State. The task force shall have all of the following goals, which means key steps have to be taken to ensure that every child in every school in this State has access to teachers, social workers, school leaders, support personnel, and others who have been trained in evidence-based interventions and restorative practices:

(1) To create a common definition of a trauma-responsive school, a trauma-responsive district, and a trauma-responsive community.

(2) To outline the training and resources required to create and sustain a system of support for trauma-responsive schools, districts, and communities and to identify this State's role in that work, including recommendations concerning options for redirecting resources from school resource officers to classroom-based support.

(3) To identify or develop a process to conduct an analysis of the organizations that provide training in restorative practices, implicit bias, anti-racism, and trauma-responsive systems, mental health services, and social and emotional services to schools.

(4) To provide recommendations concerning the key data to be collected and reported to ensure that this State has a full and accurate understanding of the progress toward ensuring that all schools, including programs and providers of care to pre-kindergarten children, employ restorative, anti-racist, and trauma-responsive strategies and practices. The data collected must include information relating to the availability of trauma responsive support structures in schools, as well as disciplinary practices employed on students in person or through other means, including during remote or blended learning. It should also include information on the use of and funding for school resource officers and other similar police personnel in school programs.

(5) To recommend an implementation timeline, including the key roles, responsibilities, and resources to advance this State toward a system in which every school, district, and community is progressing toward becoming trauma-responsive.

(6) To seek input and feedback from stakeholders, including parents, students, and educators, who reflect the diversity of this State.

(7) To recommend legislation, policies, and practices to prevent learning loss in students during periods of suspension and expulsion, including, but not limited to, remote instruction.

(c) Members of the Whole Child Task Force shall be appointed by the State Superintendent of Education. Members of this task force must represent the diversity of this State and possess the expertise needed to perform the work required to meet the goals of the task force set forth under subsection (a). Members of the task force shall include all of the following:

(1) One member of a statewide professional teachers' organization.

(2) One member of another statewide professional teachers' organization.

(3) One member who represents a school district serving a community with a population of 500,000 or more.

(4) One member of a statewide organization representing social workers.

(5) One member of an organization that has specific expertise in trauma-responsive school practices and experience in supporting schools in developing trauma-responsive and restorative practices.

(6) One member of another organization that has specific expertise in trauma-responsive school practices and experience in supporting schools in developing trauma-responsive and restorative practices.

(7) One member of a statewide organization that represents school administrators.

(8) One member of a statewide policy organization that works to build a healthy public education system that prepares all students for a successful college, career, and civic life.

(9) One member of a statewide organization that brings teachers together to identify and address issues critical to student success.

(10) One member of the General Assembly recommended by the President of the Senate.

(11) One member of the General Assembly recommended by the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

(12) One member of the General Assembly recommended by the Minority Leader of the Senate.

(13) One member of the General Assembly recommended by the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives.

(14) One member of a civil rights organization that works actively on issues regarding student support.

(15) One administrator from a school district that has actively worked to develop a system of student support that uses a trauma-informed lens.

(16) One educator from a school district that has actively worked to develop a system of student support that uses a trauma-informed lens.

(17) One member of a youth-led organization.

(18) One member of an organization that has demonstrated expertise in restorative practices.

(19) One member of a coalition of mental health and school practitioners who assist schools in developing and implementing trauma-informed and restorative strategies and systems.

(20) One member of an organization whose mission is to promote the safety, health, and economic success of children, youth, and families in this State.

(21) One member who works or has worked as a restorative justice coach or disciplinarian.

(22) One member who works or has worked as a social worker.

(23) One member of the State Board of Education.

(24) One member who represents a statewide principals' organization.

(25) One member who represents a statewide organization of school boards.

(26) One member who has expertise in pre-kindergarten education.

(27) One member who represents a school social worker association.

(28) One member who represents an organization that represents school districts in the south suburbs of the City of Chicago.

(29) One member who is a licensed clinical psychologist who (i) has a doctor of philosophy in the field of clinical psychology and has an appointment at an independent free-standing children's hospital located in the City of Chicago, (ii) serves as an associate professor at a medical school located in the City of Chicago, and (iii) serves as the clinical director of a coalition of voluntary collaboration of organizations that are committed to applying a trauma lens to the member's efforts on behalf of families and children in the State.

(30) One member who represents a school district in the west suburbs of the City of Chicago.

(31) One member from a governmental agency who has expertise in child development and who is responsible for coordinating early childhood mental health programs and services.

(32) One member who has significant expertise in early childhood mental health and childhood trauma.

(33) One member who represents an organization that represents school districts in the collar counties around the City of Chicago.

(34) One member who represents an organization representing regional offices of education.

(d) The Whole Child Task Force shall meet at the call of the State Superintendent of Education or his or her designee, who shall serve as the chairperson. The State Board of Education shall provide administrative and other support to the task force. Members of the task force shall serve without compensation.

(e) The Whole Child Task Force shall reconvene by March 2027 to review progress on the recommendations in the March 2022 report submitted pursuant to Public Act 101-654 and shall submit a new report on its assessment of the State's progress and any additional recommendations to the General Assembly, the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus, the State Board of Education, and the Governor on or before December 31, 2027.

(f) This Section is repealed on February 1, 2029.

(Source: P.A. 103-413, eff. 1-1-24.)

(Text of Section from P.A. 103-472)

(This Section may contain text from a Public Act with a delayed effective date)

Sec. 22-95. Policy on discrimination, harassment, and retaliation; response procedures.

(a) As used in this Section, "policy" means either the use of a singular policy or multiple policies.

(b) Each school district, charter school, or nonpublic, nonsectarian elementary or secondary school must create, implement, and maintain at least one written policy that prohibits discrimination and harassment based on race, color, and national origin and prohibits retaliation. The policy may be included as part of a broader anti-harassment or anti-discrimination policy, provided that the policy prohibiting discrimination and harassment based on race, color, and national origin and retaliation shall be distinguished with an appropriate title, heading, or label. This policy must comply with and be distributed in accordance with all of the following:

(1) The policy must be in writing and must include at a minimum, the following information:

(A) descriptions of various forms of discrimination and harassment based on race, color, and national origin, including examples;

(B) the school district's, charter school's, or nonpublic, nonsectarian elementary or secondary school's internal process for filing a complaint regarding a violation of the policy described in this subsection, or a reference to that process if described elsewhere in policy;

(C) an overview of the school district's, charter school's, or nonpublic, nonsectarian elementary or secondary school's prevention and response program pursuant to subsection (c);

(D) potential remedies for a violation of the policy described in this subsection;

(E) a prohibition on retaliation for making a complaint or participating in the complaint process;

(F) the legal recourse available through the Department of Human Rights and through federal agencies if a school district, charter school, or nonpublic, nonsectarian elementary or secondary school fails to take corrective action, or a reference to that process if described elsewhere in policy; and

(G) directions on how to contact the Department of Human Rights or a reference to those directions if described elsewhere in the policy.

The policy shall make clear that the policy does not impair or otherwise diminish the rights of unionized employees under federal law, State law, or a collective bargaining agreement to request an exclusive bargaining representative to be present during investigator interviews, nor does the policy diminish any rights available under the applicable negotiated collective bargaining agreement, including, but not limited to, the grievance procedure.

(2) The policy described in this subsection shall be posted in a prominent and accessible location and distributed in such a manner as to ensure notice of the policy to all employees. If the school district, charter school, or nonpublic, nonsectarian elementary or secondary school maintains an Internet website or has an employee Intranet, the website or Intranet shall be considered a prominent and accessible location for the purpose of this paragraph (2). Posting and distribution shall be effectuated by the beginning of the 2024-2025 school year and shall occur annually thereafter.

(3) The policy described in this subsection shall be published on the school district's, charter school's, or nonpublic, nonsectarian elementary or secondary school's Internet website, if one exists, and in a student handbook, if one exists. A summary of the policy in accessible, age-appropriate language shall be distributed annually to students and to the parents or guardians of minor students. School districts, charter schools, and nonpublic, nonsectarian elementary or secondary schools shall provide a summary of the policy in the parent or guardian's native language. For the annual distribution of the summary, inclusion of the summary in a student handbook is deemed compliant.

(c) Each school district, charter school, and nonpublic, nonsectarian elementary or secondary school must establish procedures for responding to complaints of discrimination and harassment based on race, color, and national origin and retaliation. These procedures must comply with subsection (b) of this Section. Based on these procedures, school districts, charter schools, and nonpublic, nonsectarian elementary or secondary schools:

(1) shall reduce or remove, to the extent practicable, barriers to reporting discrimination, harassment, and retaliation;

(2) shall permit any person who reports or is the victim of an incident of alleged discrimination, harassment, or retaliation to be accompanied when making a report by a support individual of the person's choice who complies with the school district's, charter school's, or nonpublic, nonsectarian elementary or secondary school's policies or rules;

(3) shall permit anonymous reporting, except that this paragraph (3) may not be construed to permit formal disciplinary action solely on the basis of an anonymous report;

(4) shall offer remedial interventions or take such disciplinary action as may be appropriate on a case-by-case basis;

(5) may offer, but not require or unduly influence, a person who reports or is the victim of an incident of discrimination, harassment, or retaliation the option to resolve allegations directly with the offender; and

(6) may not cause a person who reports or is the victim of an incident of discrimination, harassment, or retaliation to suffer adverse consequences as a result of a report of, an investigation of, or a response to the incident; this protection may not permit victims to engage in retaliation against the offender or limit a school district, charter school, or nonpublic, nonsectarian elementary or secondary school from applying disciplinary measures in response to other acts or conduct not related to the process of reporting, investigating, or responding to a report of an incident of discrimination, harassment, or retaliation.

(Source: P.A. 103-472, eff. 8-1-24.)

(Text of Section from P.A. 103-481)

Sec. 22-95. Retirement and deferred compensation plans.

(a) This Section applies only to school districts, other than a school district organized under Article 34, with a full-time licensed teacher population of 575 or more teachers that maintain a 457 plan. Every applicable school district shall make available to participants more than one financial institution or investment provider to provide services to the school district's 457 plan.

(b) A financial institution or investment provider, by entering into a written agreement, may offer or provide services to a plan offered, established, or maintained by a school district under Section 457 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 if the written agreement is not combined with any other written agreement for the administration of the school district's 457 plan.

Each school district that offers a 457 plan shall make available to participants, in the manner provided in subsection (d), more than one financial institution or investment provider that has not entered into a written agreement to provide administration services and that provides services to a 457 plan offered to school districts.

(c) A financial institution or investment provider providing services for any plan offered, established, or maintained by a school district under Section 457 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 shall:

(1) enter into an agreement with the school district or the school district's independent compliance administrator that requires the financial institution or investment provider to provide, in an electronic format, all data necessary for the administration of the 457 plan, as determined by the school district or the school district's compliance administrator;

(2) provide all data required by the school district or the school district's compliance administrator to facilitate disclosure of all fees, charges, expenses, commissions, compensation, and payments to third parties related to investments offered under the 457 plan; and

(3) cover all plan administration costs agreed to by the school district relating to the administration of the 457 plan.

(d) A school district that offers, establishes, or maintains a plan under Section 457 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, except for a plan established under Section 16-204 of the Illinois Pension Code, shall select more than one financial institution or investment provider, in addition to the financial institution or investment provider that has entered into a written agreement under subsection (b), to provide services to the 457 plan. A financial institution or investment provider shall be designated a 457 plan provider if the financial institution or investment provider enters into an agreement in accordance with subsection (c).

(e) A school district shall have one year after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 103rd General Assembly to find a 457 plan provider under this Section.

(f) Nothing in this Section shall apply to or impact the optional defined contribution benefit established by the Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois under Section 16-204 of the Illinois Pension Code. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Teachers' Retirement System may elect to share plan data for the 457 plan established pursuant to Section 16-204 of the Illinois Pension Code with the school district, upon request by the school district, in order to facilitate school districts' compliance with this Section and Section 457 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. If a school district requests that the Teachers' Retirement System share plan information for the 457 plan established pursuant to Section 16-204 of the Illinois Pension Code, the Teachers' Retirement System may assess a fee on the applicable school district.

(Source: P.A. 103-481, eff. 1-1-24.)

(Text of Section from P.A. 103-497)

(Section scheduled to be repealed on December 31, 2031)

Sec. 22-95. Rural Education Advisory Council.

(a) The Rural Education Advisory Council is created as a statewide advisory council to exchange thoughtful dialogue concerning the needs, challenges, and opportunities of rural schools districts and to provide policy recommendations to the State. The Council shall perform all of the following functions:

(1) Convey and impart the perspective of rural communities and provide context during policy discussions on various statewide issues with the State Superintendent of Education.

(2) Present to the State Superintendent of Education the opportunity to speak directly with representatives of rural communities on various policy and legal issues, to present feedback on critical issues facing rural communities, to generate ideas, and to communicate information to the State Superintendent.

(3) Provide feedback about this State's pre-kindergarten through grade 12 practices and policies so that the application of policies in rural areas may be more fully understood.

(b) The Council shall consist of all of the following members:

(1) The State Superintendent of Education or his or her designee.

(2) One representative of an association representing rural and small schools, appointed by the State Superintendent of Education.

(3) Five superintendents of rural school districts who represent 3 super-regions of this State and who are recommended by an association representing rural and small schools, appointed by the State Superintendent of Education.

(4) One principal from a rural school district recommended by a statewide organization representing school principals, appointed by the State Superintendent of Education.

(5) One representative from a rural school district recommended by a statewide organization representing school boards, appointed by the State Superintendent of Education.

(6) One representative of a statewide organization representing district superintendents, appointed by the State Superintendent of Education.

(7) One representative of a statewide organization representing regional superintendents of schools, appointed by the State Superintendent of Education.

(8) One student who is at least 15 years old, who is a member of the State Board of Education's Student Advisory Council, and who is from a rural school district, appointed by the State Superintendent of Education.

Council members must reflect, as much as possible, the racial and ethnic diversity of this State.

Council members shall serve without compensation but shall be reimbursed for their reasonable and necessary expenses from funds appropriated to the State Board of Education for that purpose, subject to the rules of the appropriate travel control board.

(c) The Council shall meet initially at the call of the State Superintendent of Education, shall select one member as chairperson at its initial meeting, and shall thereafter meet at the call of the chairperson.

(d) The State Board of Education shall provide administrative and other support to the Council as needed.

(e) The Council is dissolved and this Section is repealed on December 31, 2031.

(Source: P.A. 103-497, eff. 1-1-24.)