(105 ILCS 5/3-15.17)

Sec. 3-15.17. Civic education advancement.

(a) The General Assembly finds that civic education and participation are fundamental elements of a healthy democracy, and schools are in need of support to identify civic learning opportunities and to implement new strategies to prepare and sustain high quality citizenship among their student body.

(b) Subject to appropriation, funding for civic education professional development for high school teachers must be provided by line item appropriation made to the State Board of Education for that purpose. When appropriated, the State Board of Education must provide this funding to each regional superintendent of schools based on high school enrollment as reported on the State Board of Education's most recent fall enrollment and housing report, except that 20% of each annual appropriation must be reserved for a school district organized under Article 34 of this Code.

(c) In order to establish eligibility for one or more of its schools to receive funding under this Section, a school district shall submit to its regional superintendent of schools an application, accompanied by a completed civic audit, for each school. A regional superintendent shall award funds to a district based on the number of teachers identified by the district to receive professional development multiplied by $250. A district must not be awarded more than $3,000 in any year, unless additional funds remain available after all eligible applicants have received funding. A district may not use funds authorized under this Section in any school more than once every 2 years. Funds provided under this Section must be used exclusively for professional development provided by entities that are approved providers for purposes of license renewal under Section 21B-45 of this Code.

(d) The civic audit form and its content must be designed and updated as deemed necessary by the Illinois Civic Mission Coalition. Data from completed civic audits must be processed by the Illinois Civic Mission Coalition. The civic audit must be made available by the Illinois Civic Mission Coalition and must be designed to provide teachers and principals with a blueprint to better understand how current curriculum, service learning, and extracurricular activities are providing civic learning experiences for their students.

(Source: P.A. 99-30, eff. 7-10-15.)