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| Public Act 102-0411 | ||||
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AN ACT concerning education.
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Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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represented in the General Assembly:
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Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Sections | ||||
24-2 and 27-21 as follows:
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(105 ILCS 5/24-2) (from Ch. 122, par. 24-2)
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Sec. 24-2. Holidays. | ||||
(a) Teachers shall not be required
to teach on Saturdays, | ||||
nor, except as provided in subsection (b) of this Section, | ||||
shall teachers or other school
employees, other than | ||||
noncertificated school employees whose presence is
necessary | ||||
because of an emergency or for the continued operation and
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maintenance of school facilities or property, be
required to | ||||
work on legal school
holidays, which are January 1, New Year's | ||||
Day; the third Monday in
January, the Birthday of Dr. Martin | ||||
Luther King, Jr.; February 12, the
Birthday of President | ||||
Abraham Lincoln; the
first Monday in March (to be known as | ||||
Casimir Pulaski's birthday); Good
Friday; the day designated | ||||
as Memorial Day by federal law; July 4,
Independence Day; the | ||||
first Monday in September, Labor Day; the second Monday
in | ||||
October, Columbus Day; November 11, Veterans' Day; the | ||||
Thursday in
November commonly called Thanksgiving Day; and | ||||
December 25, Christmas Day.
School boards may grant special | ||||
holidays whenever in their judgment such
action is advisable. | ||
No deduction shall
be made from the time or
compensation of a | ||
school employee on account of any legal
or special holiday.
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(b) A school board or other entity eligible to apply for | ||
waivers and modifications under Section 2-3.25g of this Code | ||
is authorized to hold school or schedule teachers' institutes, | ||
parent-teacher conferences, or staff development on the third | ||
Monday in January (the Birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, | ||
Jr.); February 12 (the Birthday of President Abraham Lincoln); | ||
the first Monday in March (known as Casimir Pulaski's | ||
birthday); the second Monday in October (Columbus Day); and | ||
November 11 (Veterans' Day), provided that: | ||
(1) the person or persons honored by the holiday are | ||
recognized through instructional activities conducted on | ||
that day or, if the day is not used for student attendance, | ||
on the first school day preceding or following that day; | ||
and | ||
(2) the entity that chooses to exercise this authority | ||
first holds a public hearing about the proposal. The | ||
entity shall provide notice preceding the public hearing | ||
to both educators and parents. The notice shall set forth | ||
the time, date, and place of the hearing, describe the | ||
proposal, and indicate that the entity will take testimony | ||
from educators and parents about the proposal.
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(c) Commemorative holidays, which recognize specified | ||
patriotic, civic,
cultural or historical persons, activities, | ||
or events, are regular school
days. Commemorative
holidays | ||
are: January 17 (the birthday of Muhammad Ali), January 28 (to | ||
be known as Christa McAuliffe Day and
observed as a | ||
commemoration of space exploration), February 15 (the
birthday | ||
of Susan B. Anthony), March 29 (Viet Nam War Veterans' Day),
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September 11 (September 11th Day of Remembrance), the school | ||
day
immediately preceding Veterans' Day (Korean War Veterans'
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Day), October 1 (Recycling Day), October 7 (Iraq and | ||
Afghanistan Veterans Remembrance Day), December 7 (Pearl | ||
Harbor Veterans' Day), and
any day so appointed by the | ||
President or
Governor. School boards may establish | ||
commemorative holidays whenever in
their judgment such action | ||
is advisable.
School boards shall include instruction relative | ||
to commemorated persons,
activities, or
events on the | ||
commemorative holiday or at any other time during the school
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year and at any point in the curriculum when such instruction | ||
may be deemed
appropriate. The State Board of Education shall | ||
prepare and make available
to school boards instructional | ||
materials relative to commemorated persons,
activities,
or | ||
events which may be used by school boards in conjunction with | ||
any
instruction provided pursuant to this paragraph.
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(d) City of Chicago School District 299 shall observe | ||
March 4 of each year as
a commemorative holiday. This holiday | ||
shall be known as Mayors' Day which
shall be a day to | ||
commemorate and be reminded of the past Chief Executive
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Officers of the City of Chicago, and in particular the late | ||
Mayor Richard
J. Daley and the late Mayor Harold Washington. | ||
If March 4 falls on a
Saturday or Sunday, Mayors' Day shall be | ||
observed on the following Monday. | ||
(e) Notwithstanding any other provision of State law to | ||
the contrary, November 3, 2020 shall be a State holiday known | ||
as 2020 General Election Day and shall be observed throughout | ||
the State pursuant to this amendatory Act of the 101st General | ||
Assembly. All government offices, with the exception of | ||
election authorities, shall be closed unless authorized to be | ||
used as a location for election day services or as a polling | ||
place.
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(Source: P.A. 101-642, eff. 6-16-20.)
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(105 ILCS 5/27-21) (from Ch. 122, par. 27-21)
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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
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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
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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,
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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
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United States and gives evidence of having a comprehensive | ||
knowledge
thereof, which may be administered remotely.
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(Source: P.A. 101-227, eff. 7-1-20; 101-341, eff. 1-1-20; | ||
101-643, eff. 6-18-20.)
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