Sen. Christopher Belt
Filed: 5/12/2021
 
 


 




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1
AMENDMENT TO SENATE BILL 2088




2 AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend Senate Bill 2088, AS AMENDED, 
3by replacing everything after the enacting clause with the 
4following:


5 "Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing 
6Sections 22-90 and 2-3.64a-10 as follows:

7 (105 ILCS 5/2-3.64a-10)
8 Sec. 2-3.64a-10. Kindergarten assessment.
9 (a) For the purposes of this Section, "kindergarten" 
10includes both full-day and
half-day kindergarten programs.
11 (b) Beginning no later than the 2021-2022 school year, the 
12State Board
of Education shall annually assess all public 
13school students entering kindergarten using a common 
14assessment tool, unless the State Board determines that a 
15student is otherwise exempt. The common assessment tool must 
16assess multiple developmental domains, including literacy, 
 
 
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1language, mathematics, and social and emotional development. 
2The assessment must be valid, reliable, and developmentally 
3appropriate to formatively assess a child's development and 
4readiness for kindergarten.
5 (c) Results from the assessment may be used by the school 
6to understand the child's development and readiness for 
7kindergarten, to tailor instruction, and to measure the 
8child's progress over time. Assessment results may also be 
9used to identify a need for the professional development of 
10teachers and early childhood educators and to inform 
11State-level and district-level policies and resource 
12allocation.
13 The school shall make the assessment results available to 
14the child's parent or guardian.
15 The assessment results may not be used (i) to prevent a 
16child from enrolling in kindergarten or (ii) as the sole 
17measure used in determining the grade promotion or retention 
18of a student.
19 (d) On an annual basis, the State Board shall report 
20publicly, at a minimum, data from the assessment for the State 
21overall and for each school district. The State Board's report 
22must disaggregate data by race and ethnicity, household 
23income, students who are English learners, and students who 
24have an individualized education program.
25 (e) The State Superintendent of Education shall appoint a 
26committee of no more than 21 members, including consisting of 
 
 
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1parents, teachers, school administrators, assessment experts, 
2and regional superintendents of schools, state policy 
3advocates, early childhood administrators, and other 
4stakeholders, to review, on an ongoing basis, the content and 
5design of the assessment, the collective results of the 
6assessment as measured against kindergarten-readiness 
7standards, and other issues involving the assessment as 
8identified by the committee.
9 The committee shall make periodic recommendations to the 
10State Superintendent of Education and the General Assembly 
11concerning the assessments.
12 (f) The State Board may adopt rules to implement and 
13administer this Section.

14(Source: P.A. 101-654, eff. 3-8-21.)

15 (105 ILCS 5/22-90)
16 (Section scheduled to be repealed on February 1, 2023)
17 Sec. 22-90. Whole Child Task Force.
18 (a) The General Assembly makes all of the following 
19findings: 
20  (1) The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed systemic 
21 inequities in American society. Students, educators, and 
22 families throughout this State have been deeply affected 
23 by the pandemic, and the impact of the pandemic will be 
24 felt for years to come. The negative consequences of the 
25 pandemic have impacted students and communities 
 
 
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1 differently along the lines of race, income, language, and 
2 special needs. However, students in this State faced 
3 significant unmet physical health, mental health, and 
4 social and emotional needs even prior to the pandemic. 
5  (2) The path to recovery requires a commitment from 
6 adults in this State to address our students cultural, 
7 physical, emotional, and mental health needs and to 
8 provide them with stronger and increased systemic support 
9 and intervention.
10  (3) It is well documented that trauma and toxic stress 
11 diminish a child's ability to thrive. Forms of childhood 
12 trauma and toxic stress include adverse childhood 
13 experiences, systemic racism, poverty, food and housing 
14 insecurity, and gender-based violence. The COVID-19 
15 pandemic has exacerbated these issues and brought them 
16 into focus.
17  (4) It is estimated that, overall, approximately 40% 
18 of children in this State have experienced at least one 
19 adverse childhood experience and approximately 10% have 
20 experienced 3 or more adverse childhood experiences. 
21 However, the number of adverse childhood experiences is 
22 higher for Black and Hispanic children who are growing up 
23 in poverty. The COVID-19 pandemic has amplified the number 
24 of students who have experienced childhood trauma. Also, 
25 the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted preexisting 
26 inequities in school disciplinary practices that 
 
 
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1 disproportionately impact Black and Brown students. 
2 Research shows, for example, that girls of color are 
3 disproportionately impacted by trauma, adversity, and 
4 abuse, and instead of receiving the care and 
5 trauma-informed support they may need, many Black girls in 
6 particular face disproportionately harsh disciplinary 
7 measures.
8  (5) The cumulative effects of trauma and toxic stress 
9 adversely impact the physical health of students, as well 
10 as their ability to learn, form relationships, and 
11 self-regulate. If left unaddressed, these effects increase 
12 a student's risk for depression, alcoholism, anxiety, 
13 asthma, smoking, and suicide, all of which are risks that 
14 disproportionately affect Black youth and may lead to a 
15 host of medical diseases as an adult. Access to infant and 
16 early childhood mental health services is critical to 
17 ensure the social and emotional well-being of this State's 
18 youngest children, particularly those children who have 
19 experienced trauma.
20  (6) Although this State enacted measures through 
21 Public Act 100-105 to address the high rate of early care 
22 and preschool expulsions of infants, toddlers, and 
23 preschoolers and the disproportionately higher rate of 
24 expulsion for Black and Hispanic children, a recent study 
25 found a wide variation in the awareness, understanding, 
26 and compliance with the law by providers of early 
 
 
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1 childhood care. Further work is needed to implement the 
2 law, which includes providing training to early childhood 
3 care providers to increase their understanding of the law, 
4 increasing the availability and access to infant and early 
5 childhood mental health services, and building aligned 
6 data collection systems to better understand expulsion 
7 rates and to allow for accurate reporting as required by 
8 the law. 
9  (7) Many educators and schools in this State have 
10 embraced and implemented evidenced-based restorative 
11 justice and trauma-responsive and culturally relevant 
12 practices and interventions. However, the use of these 
13 interventions on students is often isolated or is 
14 implemented occasionally and only if the school has the 
15 appropriate leadership, resources, and partners available 
16 to engage seriously in this work. It would be malpractice 
17 to deny our students access to these practices and 
18 interventions, especially in the aftermath of a 
19 once-in-a-century pandemic.
20 (b) The Whole Child Task Force is created for the purpose 
21of establishing an equitable, inclusive, safe, and supportive 
22environment in all schools for every student in this State. 
23The task force shall have all of the following goals, which 
24means key steps have to be taken to ensure that every child in 
25every school in this State has access to teachers, social 
26workers, school leaders, support personnel, and others who 
 
 
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1have been trained in evidenced-based interventions and 
2restorative practices: 
3  (1) To create a common definition of a 
4 trauma-responsive school, a trauma-responsive district, 
5 and a trauma-responsive community.
6  (2) To outline the training and resources required to 
7 create and sustain a system of support for 
8 trauma-responsive schools, districts, and communities and 
9 to identify this State's role in that work, including 
10 recommendations concerning options for redirecting 
11 resources from school resource officers to classroom-based 
12 support.
13  (3) To identify or develop a process to conduct an 
14 analysis of the organizations that provide training in 
15 restorative practices, implicit bias, anti-racism, and 
16 trauma-responsive systems, mental health services, and 
17 social and emotional services to schools.
18  (4) To provide recommendations concerning the key data 
19 to be collected and reported to ensure that this State has 
20 a full and accurate understanding of the progress toward 
21 ensuring that all schools, including programs and 
22 providers of care to pre-kindergarten children, employ 
23 restorative, anti-racist, and trauma-responsive 
24 strategies and practices. The data collected must include 
25 information relating to the availability of trauma 
26 responsive support structures in schools as well as 
 
 
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1 disciplinary practices employed on students in person or 
2 through other means, including during remote or blended 
3 learning. It should also include information on the use 
4 of, and funding for, school resource officers and other 
5 similar police personnel in school programs.
6  (5) To recommend an implementation timeline, including 
7 the key roles, responsibilities, and resources to advance 
8 this State toward a system in which every school, 
9 district, and community is progressing toward becoming 
10 trauma-responsive.
11  (6) To seek input and feedback from stakeholders, 
12 including parents, students, and educators, who reflect 
13 the diversity of this State. 
14  (7) To recommend legislation, policies, and practices 
15 to prevent learning loss in students during periods of 
16 suspension and expulsion, including, but not limited to, 
17 remote instruction. 
18 (c) Members of the Whole Child Task Force shall be 
19appointed by the State Superintendent of Education. Members of 
20this task force must represent the diversity of this State and 
21possess the expertise needed to perform the work required to 
22meet the goals of the task force set forth under subsection 
23(a). Members of the task force shall include all of the 
24following: 
25  (1) One member of a statewide professional teachers' 
26 organization.
 
 
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1  (2) One member of another statewide professional 
2 teachers' organization.
3  (3) One member who represents a school district 
4 serving a community with a population of 500,000 or more.
5  (4) One member of a statewide organization 
6 representing social workers.
7  (5) One member of an organization that has specific 
8 expertise in trauma-responsive school practices and 
9 experience in supporting schools in developing 
10 trauma-responsive and restorative practices.
11  (6) One member of another organization that has 
12 specific expertise in trauma-responsive school practices 
13 and experience in supporting schools in developing 
14 trauma-responsive and restorative practices.
15  (7) One member of a statewide organization that 
16 represents school administrators.
17  (8) One member of a statewide policy organization that 
18 works to build a healthy public education system that 
19 prepares all students for a successful college, career, 
20 and civic life.
21  (9) One member of a statewide organization that brings

22 teachers together to identify and address issues
critical 
23 to student success.
24  (10) One member of the General Assembly recommended by 
25 the President of the Senate.
26  (11) One member of the General Assembly recommended by 
 
 
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1 the Speaker of the House of
Representatives.
2  (12) One member of the General Assembly recommended by 
3 the Minority Leader of the Senate.
4  (13) One member of the General Assembly recommended by 
5 the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives.
6  (14) One member of a civil rights organization that 
7 works actively on issues regarding student support.
8  (15) One administrator from a school district that has 
9 actively worked to develop a system of student support 
10 that uses a trauma-informed lens.
11  (16) One educator from a school district that has 
12 actively worked to develop a system of student support 
13 that uses a trauma-informed lens.
14  (17) One member of a youth-led organization.
15  (18) One member of an organization that has 
16 demonstrated expertise in restorative practices. 
17  (19) One member of a coalition of mental health and 
18 school practitioners who assist schools in developing and 
19 implementing trauma-informed and restorative strategies 
20 and systems.
21  (20) One member of an organization whose mission is to 
22 promote the safety, health, and economic success of 
23 children, youth, and families in this State.
24  (21) One member who works or has worked as a 
25 restorative justice coach or disciplinarian.
26  (22) One member who works or has worked as a social 
 
 
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1 worker.
2  (23) One member of the State Board of Education.
3  (24) One member who represents a statewide principals' 
4 organization.
5  (25) One member who represents a statewide 
6 organization of school boards. 
7  (26) One member who has expertise in pre-kindergarten 
8 education. 
9  (27) One member who represents a school social worker 
10 association. 
11  (28) One member who represents an organization that 
12 represents school districts in both the south suburbs and 
13 collar counties. 
14  (29) One member who is a licensed clinical 
15 psychologist who (A) has a doctor of philosophy in the 
16 field of clinical psychology and has an appointment at an 
17 independent free-standing children's hospital located in 
18 Chicago, (B) serves as associate professor at a medical 
19 school located in Chicago, and (C) serves as the clinical 
20 director of a coalition of voluntary collaboration of 
21 organizations that are committed to applying a trauma lens 
22 to their efforts on behalf of families and children in the 
23 State. 
24  (30) One member who represents a west suburban school 
25 district. 
26 (d) The Whole Child Task Force shall meet at the call of 
 
 
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1the State Superintendent of Education or his or her designee, 
2who shall serve as as the chairperson. The State Board of 
3Education shall provide administrative and other support to 
4the task force. Members of the task force shall serve without 
5compensation.
6 (e) The Whole Child Task Force shall submit a report of its 
7findings and recommendations to the General Assembly, the 
8Illinois Legislative Black Caucus, the State Board of 
9Education, and the Governor on or before February 1, 2022. 
10Upon submitting its report, the task force is dissolved. 
11 (f) This Section is repealed on February 1, 2023. 

12(Source: P.A. 101-654, eff. 3-8-21.)".