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| Public Act 102-0584
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| HB0004 Enrolled | LRB102 02610 CMG 12613 b |
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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 Section |
10-20.56 as follows:
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(105 ILCS 5/10-20.56) |
Sec. 10-20.56. E-learning days. |
(a) The State Board of Education shall establish and |
maintain, for implementation in school districts, a program |
for use of electronic-learning (e-learning) days, as described |
in this
Section. School districts may utilize a program |
approved under this Section for use during remote learning |
days and blended remote learning days under Section 10-30 or |
34-18.66. |
(b) The school board of a school district may, by |
resolution, adopt a research-based program or
research-based |
programs for e-learning days district-wide that shall permit |
student instruction to be received electronically while |
students are not physically present in lieu of the district's |
scheduled emergency days as required by Section 10-19 of this |
Code or because a school was selected to be a polling place |
under Section 11-4.1 of the Election Code. The research-based |
program or programs may not exceed the minimum number of |
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emergency days in the approved school calendar and must be |
verified by the regional office of education or intermediate |
service center for the school district on or before September |
1st annually to ensure access for all students. The regional |
office of education or intermediate service center shall |
ensure that the specific needs of all students are met, |
including special education students and English learners, and |
that all mandates are still met using the proposed |
research-based program. The e-learning program may utilize the |
Internet, telephones, texts, chat rooms, or other similar |
means of electronic communication for instruction and |
interaction between teachers and students that meet the needs |
of all
learners. The e-learning program shall address the |
school district's responsibility to ensure that all teachers |
and staff who may be involved in the provision of e-learning |
have access to any and all hardware and software that may be |
required for the program. If a proposed program does not |
address this responsibility, the school district must propose |
an alternate program. |
(c) Before its adoption by a school board, the school |
board must hold a public hearing on a school district's |
initial proposal for an e-learning program or for renewal of |
such a program, at a regular or special meeting of the school |
board, in which the terms of the proposal must be |
substantially presented and an opportunity for allowing public |
comments must be provided. Notice of such public hearing must |
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be provided at least 10 days prior to the hearing by: |
(1) publication in a newspaper of general circulation |
in the school district; |
(2) written or electronic notice designed to reach the |
parents or guardians of all students enrolled in the |
school district; and |
(3) written or electronic notice designed to reach any |
exclusive collective bargaining representatives of school |
district employees and all those employees not in a |
collective bargaining unit. |
(d) The regional office of education or intermediate |
service center for the school district must timely verify that |
a proposal for an e-learning program has met the requirements |
specified in this Section and that the proposal contains |
provisions designed to reasonably and practicably accomplish |
the following: |
(1) to ensure and verify at least 5 clock hours of |
instruction or school work, as required under Section |
10-19.05, for each student participating in an e-learning |
day; |
(2) to ensure access from home or other appropriate |
remote facility for all students participating, including |
computers, the Internet, and other forms of electronic |
communication that must be utilized in the proposed |
program; |
(2.5) to ensure that non-electronic materials are made |
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available to students participating in the program who do |
not have access to the required technology or to |
participating teachers or students who are prevented from |
accessing the required technology; |
(3) to ensure appropriate learning opportunities for |
students with special needs; |
(4) to monitor and verify each student's electronic |
participation; |
(5) to address the extent to which student |
participation is within the student's control as to the |
time, pace, and means of learning; |
(6) to provide effective notice to students and their |
parents or guardians of the use of particular days for |
e-learning; |
(7) to provide staff and students with adequate |
training for e-learning days' participation; |
(8) to ensure an opportunity for any collective |
bargaining negotiations with representatives of the school |
district's employees that would be legally required, |
including all classifications of school district employees |
who are represented by collective bargaining agreements |
and who would be affected in the event of an e-learning |
day; |
(9) to review and revise the program as implemented to |
address difficulties confronted; and |
(10) to ensure that the protocol regarding general |
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expectations and responsibilities of the program is |
communicated to teachers, staff, and students at least 30 |
days prior to utilizing an e-learning day. |
The school board's approval of a school district's initial |
e-learning program and renewal of the e-learning program shall |
be for a term of 3 years. |
(d-5) A school district shall pay to its contractors who |
provide educational support services to the district, |
including, but not limited to, custodial, transportation, or |
food service providers, their daily, regular rate of pay or |
billings rendered for any e-learning day that is used because |
a school was selected to be a polling place under Section |
11-4.1 of the Election Code, except that this requirement does |
not apply to contractors who are paid under contracts that are |
entered into, amended, or renewed on or after March 15, 2022 or |
to contracts that otherwise address compensation for such |
e-learning days. |
(e) The State Board of Education may adopt rules |
consistent with the provision of this Section.
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(Source: P.A. 100-760, eff. 8-10-18; 101-12, eff. 7-1-19; |
101-643, eff. 6-18-20.)
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