Illinois Senate Bill 4055

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Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)
Status: Introduced on February 17 2026 - 25% progression, died in committee
Action: 2026-02-17 - Referred to Assignments
Pending: Senate Assignments Committee
Text: Latest bill text (Introduced) [HTML]

Amends the School Code. Changes the term "foreign language" to "world language" throughout the Code. Provides that a school district may establish a counselor-guided process, with the consent of a student's parent or guardian, under which the student may be exempted from one or both years of the world language requirement to receive a high school diploma beginning with the 2028-2029 school year. Sets forth requirements for the counselor-guided process. Provides that a student who has used the counselor-guided process may not be prohibited from enrolling in world language coursework in a subsequent school year. Provides that the school district shall provide equitable access to world language instruction and appropriate academic support to enable the student to meet postsecondary admission requirements if the student's goals change. Provides that nothing in the provisions may be construed to limit a student's ability to earn credits through world language coursework, demonstrate proficiency, or satisfy other graduation requirements through allowable substitutions under the Code. Provides that implementation of the counselor-guided process, the development or modification of a student's course plan, and a student's enrollment or reenrollment in world language coursework shall be carried out in accordance with the school district's existing course offerings and scheduling constraints and may not be construed to waive, eliminate, or otherwise alter the 2-year world language requirement. Makes conforming changes in various Acts relating to the governance of public universities in Illinois. Effective July 1, 2028.

SCH CD-WORLD LANGUAGE

Sen. Kimberly Lightford [D]

Date	Chamber	Action
2026-02-17	Senate	Referred to Assignments
2026-02-17	Senate	First Reading
2026-02-17	Senate	Filed with Secretary by Sen. Kimberly A. Lightford

Chapter	Article	Section	Citation Type	Statute Text
105	5	10-17a	Amended Code	Citation Text
105	5	10-20.52	Amended Code	Citation Text
105	5	10-22.43	Amended Code	Citation Text
105	5	10-22.43a	Amended Code	Citation Text
105	5	18-8.15	Amended Code	Citation Text
105	5	2-3.159	Amended Code	Citation Text
105	5	2-3.44	Amended Code	Citation Text
105	5	2-3.45	Amended Code	Citation Text
105	5	2-3.65a	Amended Code	Citation Text
105	5	27-605	Amended Code	Citation Text
105	5	34-1.01	Amended Code	Citation Text
105	5	34-18	Amended Code	Citation Text
110	305	8	Amended Code	Citation Text
110	520	8e	Amended Code	Citation Text
110	660	5-85	Amended Code	Citation Text
110	665	10-85	Amended Code	Citation Text
110	670	15-85	Amended Code	Citation Text
110	675	20-85	Amended Code	Citation Text
110	680	25-85	Amended Code	Citation Text
110	685	30-85	Amended Code	Citation Text
110	690	35-85	Amended Code	Citation Text

Type	Source
Summary	https://www.ilga.gov/Legislation/BillStatus?DocNum=4055&GAID=18&DocTypeID=SB&LegId=167696&SessionID=114
Text	https://www.ilga.gov/Legislation/BillStatus/FullText?LegDocId=209045&DocName=10400SB4055&DocNum=4055&DocTypeID=SB&LegID=167696&GAID=18&SessionID=114&SpecSess=&Session=