Bill Text: IL HB3522 | 2025-2026 | 104th General Assembly | Enrolled

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Bill Title: Creates the Public University Direct Admission Program Act. Provides that, beginning with the 2027-2028 academic year, the Board of Higher Education, in collaboration with the Illinois Community College Board, the Illinois Student Assistance Commission, and the State Board of Education, shall establish and administer a direct admission program. Requires each public university in the direct admission program to identify and provide its grade point average standards for general admission for first time admission and for transfer students to the Illinois Student Assistance Commission by March 1 of each year. Provides that, beginning July 1, 2026 and each July 1 thereafter, the Illinois Student Assistance Commission shall use data collected from school districts to determine which students meet the standards for general admission and provide the data to the Board of Higher Education. Provides that, beginning with the 2027-2028 academic year, the Board of Higher Education, in collaboration with the Illinois Student Assistance Commission and the State Board of Education, shall develop, in consultation with the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a preselection outreach campaign to encourage qualifying State high school juniors and seniors to apply to the University of Illinois at Chicago or the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Requires the Board of Higher Education to submit a report on the direct admission program and the preselection outreach campaign to the Governor and General Assembly by August 1, 2029 and each August 1 thereafter. Amends the School Code. Requires a school board to provide access to high school student directory information and each student's email address and grade point average to the Illinois Student Assistance Commission, and each public institution of higher education for the purpose of informing students of educational and career opportunities.

Sponsorship: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 25-8)

Status: (Passed) 2025-06-30 - Public Act . . . . . . . . . 104-0015 [HB3522 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2025-HB3522-Enrolled.html

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AN ACT concerning education.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Public
University Direct Admission Program Act.
Section 5. Findings. The General Assembly finds all of the
following:
(1) Illinois has a strong system of public higher
education, including public universities and community
colleges across the State.
(2) The Illinois economy thrives when Illinois
students choose to pursue postsecondary education at
Illinois institutions of higher education.
(3) According to the National Bureau of Economic
Research, two-thirds of graduates stay and work in the
state in which they matriculated.
(4) Students who have been historically underserved,
such as students who are the first in their families to go
to college, students who come from low-income families or
communities, students of color, and students from rural
communities, among others, often face the greatest
barriers to accessing higher education, in part because of
a lack of information.

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(5) Every eligible high school senior in Illinois
should receive an offer to an Illinois institution of
higher education, including public universities and
community colleges.
(6) Every public community college student seeking a
transfer pathway who meets the requirements should receive
an offer to a public university in Illinois.
(7) Illinois can and should develop the tools and
technology and partner with vendors if appropriate to
dramatically simplify the public university and community
college application and admission process for Illinois
students.
Section 10. Definitions. As used in this Act:
"Direct admissions information" means a student's name,
home address, birth date, telephone number, email address,
cumulative grade point average, and high school.
"Public university" means the University of Illinois at
Springfield, Southern Illinois University, Chicago State
University, Eastern Illinois University, Governors State
University, Illinois State University, Northeastern Illinois
University, Northern Illinois University, Western Illinois
University, or any other public university established or
authorized by the General Assembly after the effective date of
this Act.

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Section 15. Direct admission program.
(a) The Board of Higher Education, in collaboration with
the Illinois Community College Board, the Illinois Student
Assistance Commission, and the State Board of Education, shall
establish and administer a direct admission program.
Consistent with the federal Family Educational Rights and
Privacy Act of 1974, the Illinois School Student Records Act,
and the School Code, the direct admission program shall
automatically offer general admission into a public university
or community college to qualified high school seniors in this
State and to public community college students in this State
who qualify to transfer to a public university.
(b) Each public university in the direct admission program
shall identify and provide its grade point average standards
for general admission for first time admission and for
transfer students to the Illinois Student Assistance
Commission by March 1 of each year. The Illinois Student
Assistance Commission, in collaboration with the Board of
Higher Education and the Illinois Community College Board, may
determine which students meet the standards for general
admission for each public university in the direct admission
program, and that information shall be made available to the
Board of Higher Education as needed for the administration of
the program. The Board of Higher Education, the Illinois
Student Assistance Commission, or a statewide student
application portal, as provided in subsections (g) and (h),

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shall notify the student and each public university for which
the student qualifies. Each public university and community
college may also notify qualified students.
(c) Beginning July 1, 2026 and each July 1 thereafter, the
Illinois Student Assistance Commission shall use data
collected from school districts pursuant to Section 10-20.5a
and paragraph 16 of Section 34-18 of the School Code for
purposes of subsection (b) to determine which students meet
the standards for general admission and may provide the data
to the Board of Higher Education.
(d) As all public community colleges in this State are
open-access institutions, high school student direct
admissions information shall be used to identify a student's
local public community college. All correspondence to a
student, pursuant to subsection (b), indicating the public
universities that offer the student direct admission shall
also indicate the student's acceptance to the community
college. The public community college may also notify students
within its district directly.
(e) Under the direct admission program, a public community
college shall offer admission to all students who are
residents of the community college district. Under the direct
admission program, a public university shall offer general
admission to any high school senior in this State who meets the
public university's standards for admission, as identified
under subsection (b), and to any public community college

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transfer student transferring to a public university who meets
all of the following requirements:
(1) Is enrolled at a public community college in this
State.
(2) Has earned a minimum of 30 graded, transferable
semester hours.
(3) Meets the minimum grade point average requirement
as set by the public university and as reported to
Illinois Student Assistance Commission.
(f) By July 1 of each year, community college districts
shall provide, on an equal basis and consistent with the
federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, for
any student who has met the 30-hour transferable credit hour
requirement set forth in paragraph (2) of subsection (e),
access to community college student direct admissions
information to the Illinois Community College Board. The
Illinois Community College Board shall transmit this
information to the Illinois Student Assistance Commission for
the purpose of the direct admission program. Prior to
providing the student's direct admissions information and
transferable credit hours, each community college district
shall receive the written or electronic consent of the student
if the student is 18 years of age or older or the student's
parent of guardian if the student is younger than 18 years of
age. Community college students are encouraged to consult the
Illinois Articulation Initiative General Education Core

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Curriculum course list and other resources at the State and
university level to determine course transferability for
purposes of paragraph (2) of subsection (e). Community college
students who have not completed a degree prior to transfer
shall be notified by the public university in which they are
enrolled to consult the Student Transfer Achievement Reform
Act to determine if they are eligible for reverse transfer of
credits for the purpose of obtaining an associate degree.
(g) The Illinois Student Assistance Commission may gather
data and develop the technology to automatically notify high
school seniors in this State and public community college
transfer students of the direct admission program for the
public universities for which those students qualify, based on
the standards submitted under subsection (b) or, in the case
of public community colleges, based on the community college
district where those students reside.
(h) The Illinois Student Assistance Commission may use the
services of a statewide student application portal and
aggregator to provide the automatic notification in subsection
(g). The notification shall include the student's local public
community college, consistent with the requirements in
subsection (d).
(i) The direct admission program shall provide admitted
high school seniors in this State and public community college
transfer students with the website address for the Illinois
Student Assistance Commission to find information regarding

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State grant programs, support for financial aid application
completion, scholarship searches, and other financial
aid-related information and shall encourage students to
determine their eligibility for financial aid by completing
the Free Application for Federal Student Aid or, if
applicable, an application for State financial aid.
(j) A public university or community college may verify
applicant information, including transcripts, Illinois
residency, and high school graduation in determining
eligibility for enrollment. A public university or community
college may revoke admission if an applicant does not meet the
public university's or community college's direct admission
criteria as specified in this Act before enrolling at the
public university or community college.
(k) Students who apply to a public university or community
college pursuant to this Act must not be required to pay an
application fee by any public university or community college
as part of the direct admission program.
(l) If informed consent to the redisclosure of a student's
direct admissions information is provided pursuant to
subsection (b-5) of Section 10-20.5a or subparagraph (b-5) of
paragraph 16 of Section 34-18 of the School Code, the Illinois
Student Assistance Commission may, as needed for the
administration of the direct admission program, redisclose the
student's direct admissions information to the Board of Higher
Education, the Illinois Community College Board, public

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universities for which the student qualifies under the direct
admission program, the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign and the University of Illinois at Chicago if
the student qualifies under Section 20, the community college
district where the student resides, and, if applicable, a
third party that operates a statewide student application
portal. Direct admissions information may not be redisclosed
to other entities or individuals unless informed consent to
the redisclosure is provided pursuant to subsection (b-5) of
Section 10-20.5a or subparagraph (b-5) of paragraph 16 of
Section 34-18 of the School Code.
(m) The Board of Higher Education, the Illinois Student
Assistance Commission, and the Illinois Community College
Board may adopt joint rules to develop procedures for the
implementation of this Section.
Section 20. Access and outreach campaign. The Board of
Higher Education, in collaboration with the Illinois Student
Assistance Commission and the State Board of Education, shall
develop, in consultation with the University of Illinois at
Chicago and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a
process to inform qualifying State high school seniors about
the opportunity to apply to the University of Illinois at
Chicago or the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Qualifying students shall be identified and encouraged to
apply in the following manner:

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(1) The University of Illinois at Chicago and the
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign shall determine
the criteria by which students shall be identified for the
access and outreach campaign. The University of Illinois
at Chicago and the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign shall provide the qualifying criteria to
the Illinois Student Assistance Commission, as long as the
qualifying criteria is based on data available to the
Illinois Student Assistance Commission, by February 1 each
year.
(2) The University of Illinois at Chicago and the
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign shall provide
the Illinois Student Assistance Commission with the
content of the communication to be shared with students
describing how to request information on how to apply. The
Illinois Student Assistance Commission may use the same
portal or mechanisms for this communication as used for
offers of direct admission under Section 15.
(3) The Illinois Student Assistance Commission, in
collaboration with the Board of Higher Education and the
State Board of Education as needed for the administration
of this Section, shall provide the University of Illinois
at Chicago and the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign with the direct admissions information of
the students who meet the qualifying criteria defined by
the University of Illinois at Chicago or the University of

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Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
(4) The Board of Higher Education and the Illinois
Student Assistance Commission may adopt any rules
necessary to administer this Section.
Section 25. Direct admission program and access and
outreach campaign report.
(a)In establishing the direct admission program, the Board
of Higher Education, in collaboration with the Illinois
Community College Board, shall specifically evaluate the
impact on enrollment of low-income students, students of
color, first generation students, students from populations
underserved in higher education, and students from rural areas
of this State.
(b) The Board of Higher Education shall submit a report on
the direct admission program and the access and outreach
campaign to the Governor and General Assembly by August 1,
2029 and each August 1 thereafter. The report shall include,
but is not limited to, information related to implementation
of the direct admission program, the demographic, as collected
and available, and geographic data of students offered direct
admission and the public university or community college to
which direct admission was offered, the demographic, as
collected and available, and geographic data of students who
qualified under Section 20, those who applied, and those who
were offered admission, the demographic, as collected and

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available, and geographic data of high school seniors and
public community college transfer students who accepted direct
admission and enrolled in the public university or public
community college that offered that direct admission, changes
in admissions and enrollment over time of high school seniors
and public community college transfer students through the
direct admission program, and recommendations to improve the
direct admission program. The Board of Higher Education shall
collaborate with the Illinois Community College Board, the
State Board of Education, the Illinois Student Assistance
Commission, and public universities to collect data necessary
to fulfill the reporting requirements of this Section.
(c) The Board of Higher Education, the Illinois Student
Assistance Commission, and the Illinois Community College
Board, may adopt any rules necessary to administer this
Section.
Section 30. The School Code is amended by changing
Sections 2-3.64a-5, 10-20.5a, and 34-18 as follows:
(105 ILCS 5/2-3.64a-5)
Sec. 2-3.64a-5. State goals and assessment.
(a) For the assessment and accountability purposes of this
Section, "students" includes those students enrolled in a
public or State-operated elementary school, secondary school,
or cooperative or joint agreement with a governing body or

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board of control, a charter school operating in compliance
with the Charter Schools Law, a school operated by a regional
office of education under Section 13A-3 of this Code, or a
public school administered by a local public agency or the
Department of Human Services.
(b) The State Board of Education shall establish the
academic standards that are to be applicable to students who
are subject to State assessments under this Section. The State
Board of Education shall not establish any such standards in
final form without first providing opportunities for public
participation and local input in the development of the final
academic standards. Those opportunities shall include a
well-publicized period of public comment and opportunities to
file written comments.
(c) Beginning no later than the 2014-2015 school year, the
State Board of Education shall annually assess all students
enrolled in grades 3 through 8 in English language arts and
mathematics.
Beginning no later than the 2017-2018 school year, the
State Board of Education shall annually assess all students in
science at one grade in grades 3 through 5, at one grade in
grades 6 through 8, and at one grade in grades 9 through 12.
The State Board of Education shall annually assess schools
that operate a secondary education program, as defined in
Section 22-22 of this Code, in English language arts and
mathematics. The State Board of Education shall administer no

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more than 3 assessments, per student, of English language arts
and mathematics for students in a secondary education program.
One of these assessments shall be recognized by this State's
public institutions of higher education, as defined in the
Board of Higher Education Act, for the purpose of student
application or admissions consideration. The assessment
administered by the State Board of Education for the purpose
of student application to or admissions consideration by
institutions of higher education must be administered on a
school day during regular student attendance hours, and
student profile information collected by the assessment shall,
if available, be made available to the State's public
institutions of higher education in a timely manner.
Students who do not take the State's final accountability
assessment or its approved alternate assessment may not
receive a regular high school diploma unless the student is
exempted from taking the State assessments under subsection
(d) of this Section because the student is enrolled in a
program of adult and continuing education, as defined in the
Adult Education Act, or the student is identified by the State
Board of Education, through rules, as being exempt from the
assessment.
The State Board of Education shall not assess students
under this Section in subjects not required by this Section.
Districts shall inform their students of the timelines and
procedures applicable to their participation in every yearly

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administration of the State assessments. The State Board of
Education shall establish periods of time in each school year
during which State assessments shall occur to meet the
objectives of this Section.
The requirements of this subsection do not apply if the
State Board of Education has received a waiver from the
administration of assessments from the U.S. Department of
Education.
(d) Every individualized educational program as described
in Article 14 shall identify if the State assessment or
components thereof require accommodation for the student. The
State Board of Education shall develop rules governing the
administration of an alternate assessment that may be
available to students for whom participation in this State's
regular assessments is not appropriate, even with
accommodations as allowed under this Section.
Students receiving special education services whose
individualized educational programs identify them as eligible
for the alternative State assessments nevertheless shall have
the option of also taking this State's regular final
accountability assessment, which shall be administered in
accordance with the eligible accommodations appropriate for
meeting these students' respective needs.
All students determined to be English learners shall
participate in the State assessments. The scores of those
students who have been enrolled in schools in the United

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States for less than 12 months may not be used for the purposes
of accountability. Any student determined to be an English
learner shall receive appropriate assessment accommodations,
including language supports, which shall be established by
rule. Approved assessment accommodations must be provided
until the student's English language skills develop to the
extent that the student is no longer considered to be an
English learner, as demonstrated through a State-identified
English language proficiency assessment.
(e) The results or scores of each assessment taken under
this Section shall be made available to the parents of each
student.
In each school year, the scores attained by a student on
the final accountability assessment must be placed in the
student's permanent record pursuant to rules that the State
Board of Education shall adopt for that purpose in accordance
with Section 3 of the Illinois School Student Records Act. In
each school year, the scores attained by a student on the State
assessments administered in grades 3 through 8 must be placed
in the student's temporary record.
(f) All schools shall administer the State's academic
assessment of English language proficiency to all children
determined to be English learners.
(g) All schools in this State that are part of the sample
drawn by the National Center for Education Statistics, in
collaboration with their school districts and the State Board

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of Education, shall administer the academic assessments under
the National Assessment of Educational Progress carried out
under Section 411(b)(2) of the federal National Education
Statistics Act of 1994 (20 U.S.C. 9010) if the U.S. Secretary
of Education pays the costs of administering the assessments.
(h) (Blank).
(i) For the purposes of this subsection (i), "academically
based assessments" means assessments consisting of questions
and answers that are measurable and quantifiable to measure
the knowledge, skills, and ability of students in the subject
matters covered by the assessments. All assessments
administered pursuant to this Section must be academically
based assessments. The scoring of academically based
assessments shall be reliable, valid, and fair and shall meet
the guidelines for assessment development and use prescribed
by the American Psychological Association, the National
Council on Measurement in Education, and the American
Educational Research Association.
The State Board of Education shall review the use of all
assessment item types in order to ensure that they are valid
and reliable indicators of student performance aligned to the
learning standards being assessed and that the development,
administration, and scoring of these item types are
justifiable in terms of cost.
(j) The State Superintendent of Education shall appoint a
committee of no more than 21 members, consisting of parents,

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teachers, school administrators, school board members,
assessment experts, regional superintendents of schools, and
citizens, to review the State assessments administered by the
State Board of Education. The Committee shall select one of
its members as its chairperson. The Committee shall meet on an
ongoing basis to review the content and design of the
assessments (including whether the requirements of subsection
(i) of this Section have been met), the time and money expended
at the local and State levels to prepare for and administer the
assessments, the collective results of the assessments as
measured against the stated purpose of assessing student
performance, and other issues involving the assessments
identified by the Committee. The Committee shall make periodic
recommendations to the State Superintendent of Education and
the General Assembly concerning the assessments.
(k) The State Board of Education may adopt rules to
implement this Section.
(Source: P.A. 103-204, eff. 1-1-24.)
(105 ILCS 5/10-20.5a) (from Ch. 122, par. 10-20.5a)
Sec. 10-20.5a. Access to high school campus.
(a) In this Section:
"Direct admissions information" means a student's name,
home address, birth date, telephone number, email address,
cumulative grade point average, and high school.
"Directory information" means a high school student's

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name, home address, birth date, and telephone number.
"Public institution of higher education" has the meaning
given to that term in the Board of Higher Education Act.
(a-3) For school districts maintaining grades 10 through
12, to provide, on an equal basis, and consistent with the
federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974,
access to a high school campus and student directory
information to the official recruiting representatives of the
armed forces of Illinois and the United States, to the
Illinois Student Assistance Commission, and to State public
institutions of higher education for the purpose of informing
students of educational and career opportunities if the board
has provided such access to persons or groups whose purpose is
to acquaint students with educational or occupational
opportunities available to them. The board is not required to
give greater notice regarding the right of access to
recruiting representatives than is given to other persons and
groups. In this Section, "directory information" means a high
school student's name, address, and telephone number.
(a-5) For a school district maintaining grades 10 through
12, to provide, on an equal basis and consistent with the
federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 and
the Illinois School Student Records Act, access to student
direct admissions information to the Illinois Student
Assistance Commission for the purpose of the direct admission
program.

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(b) If a student or his or her parent or guardian submits a
signed, written request to the high school before the end of
the student's sophomore year (or if the student is a transfer
student, by another time set by the high school) that
indicates that the student or his or her parent or guardian
does not want the student's directory information to be
provided to official recruiting representatives, to the
Illinois Student Assistance Commission, or to public
institutions of higher education under subsection (a-3) (a) of
this Section, the high school may not provide access to the
student's directory information to these recruiting
representatives, the Illinois Student Assistance Commission,
or public institutions of higher education. The high school
shall notify its students and their parents or guardians of
the provisions of this subsection (b).
(b-5) If a student who is 18 years of age or older or the
parent or guardian of a student who is under 18 years of age
submits a signed, written or electronic consent that indicates
that the student or his or her parent or guardian does permit
the student's direct admissions information to be provided
under subsection (a-5), the high school shall provide the
student's direct admissions information to the Illinois
Student Assistance Commission.
The Illinois Student Assistance Commission shall provide
template opt-in language to those school districts maintaining
grades 10 through 12, which shall be made available on the

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Commission's website no later than June 30, 2025. The template
opt-in language shall specify that if the student or the
student's parent or guardian consents, the student's direct
admissions information will be sent to the Illinois Student
Assistance Commission and the direct admissions information
may, as needed for the administration of the direct admission
program under the Public University Direct Admission Program
Act, be redisclosed to the Board of Higher Education, the
Illinois Community College Board, public universities for
which the student qualifies under the direct admission
program, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and
the University of Illinois at Chicago if the student qualifies
under Section 20 of the Public University Direct Admission
Program Act, the community college district where the student
resides, and, if applicable, a third party that operates a
statewide student application portal. The template opt-in
language shall also specify that direct admissions information
may not be redisclosed to any other individual or entity
unless the opt-in language notifies the student or the
student's parent or guardian of such redisclosure and the
student or the student's parent or guardian consents to the
redisclosure.
The high school shall notify its students and their
parents or guardians of the provisions of this subsection
(b-5) and, at the time of school registration or at other
appropriate times prior to the end of a student's junior year,

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give its students and their parents or guardians the option
for a student's direct admissions information to be shared for
the purpose of the direct admission program.
(c) A high school may require official recruiting
representatives of the armed forces of Illinois and the United
States to pay a fee for copying and mailing a student's
directory information in an amount that is not more than the
actual costs incurred by the high school.
(d) Information received by an official recruiting
representative under this Section may be used only to provide
information to students concerning educational and career
opportunities. Information and may not be released to a
person who is not involved in recruiting students for the
armed forces of Illinois or the United States or providing
educational opportunity information for the Board of Higher
Education, the Illinois Community College Board, the Illinois
Student Assistance Commission, or public State institutions of
higher education.
(e) By July 1, 2026 and each July 1 thereafter, each school
district under this Section shall make high school January 1,
2024, student directory information shall be made
electronically accessible through a secure centralized data
system for official recruiting representatives of the armed
forces of Illinois and the United States, as well as to the
Illinois Student Assistance Commission and State public
institutions of higher education.

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(f) By July 1, 2026 and each July 1 thereafter, each school
district under this Section shall make student direct
admissions information, for students graduating in the next
year, electronically accessible through a secure, centralized
data system for the Illinois Student Assistance Commission for
the purpose of the direct admission program.
(g) The Board of Higher Education, the Illinois Community
College Board, the Illinois Student Assistance Commission, and
the State Board of Education may adopt any rules necessary to
administer this Section.
(Source: P.A. 103-204, eff. 1-1-24.)
(105 ILCS 5/34-18) (from Ch. 122, par. 34-18)
Sec. 34-18. Powers of the board. The board shall exercise
general supervision and jurisdiction over the public education
and the public school system of the city, and, except as
otherwise provided by this Article, shall have power:
1. To make suitable provision for the establishment
and maintenance throughout the year or for such portion
thereof as it may direct, not less than 9 months and in
compliance with Section 10-19.05, of schools of all grades
and kinds, including normal schools, high schools, night
schools, schools for defectives and delinquents, parental
and truant schools, schools for the blind, the deaf, and
persons with physical disabilities, schools or classes in
manual training, constructural and vocational teaching,

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domestic arts, and physical culture, vocation and
extension schools and lecture courses, and all other
educational courses and facilities, including
establishing, equipping, maintaining and operating
playgrounds and recreational programs, when such programs
are conducted in, adjacent to, or connected with any
public school under the general supervision and
jurisdiction of the board; provided that the calendar for
the school term and any changes must be submitted to and
approved by the State Board of Education before the
calendar or changes may take effect, and provided that in
allocating funds from year to year for the operation of
all attendance centers within the district, the board
shall ensure that supplemental general State aid or
supplemental grant funds are allocated and applied in
accordance with Section 18-8, 18-8.05, or 18-8.15. To
admit to such schools without charge foreign exchange
students who are participants in an organized exchange
student program which is authorized by the board. The
board shall permit all students to enroll in
apprenticeship programs in trade schools operated by the
board, whether those programs are union-sponsored or not.
No student shall be refused admission into or be excluded
from any course of instruction offered in the common
schools by reason of that student's sex. No student shall
be denied equal access to physical education and

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interscholastic athletic programs supported from school
district funds or denied participation in comparable
physical education and athletic programs solely by reason
of the student's sex. Equal access to programs supported
from school district funds and comparable programs will be
defined in rules promulgated by the State Board of
Education in consultation with the Illinois High School
Association. Notwithstanding any other provision of this
Article, neither the board of education nor any local
school council or other school official shall recommend
that children with disabilities be placed into regular
education classrooms unless those children with
disabilities are provided with supplementary services to
assist them so that they benefit from the regular
classroom instruction and are included on the teacher's
regular education class register;
2. To furnish lunches to pupils, to make a reasonable
charge therefor, and to use school funds for the payment
of such expenses as the board may determine are necessary
in conducting the school lunch program;
3. To co-operate with the circuit court;
4. To make arrangements with the public or
quasi-public libraries and museums for the use of their
facilities by teachers and pupils of the public schools;
5. To employ dentists and prescribe their duties for
the purpose of treating the pupils in the schools, but

HB3522 Enrolled - 25 - LRB104 11387 LNS 21475 b
accepting such treatment shall be optional with parents or
guardians;
6. To grant the use of assembly halls and classrooms
when not otherwise needed, including light, heat, and
attendants, for free public lectures, concerts, and other
educational and social interests, free of charge, under
such provisions and control as the principal of the
affected attendance center may prescribe;
7. To apportion the pupils to the several schools;
provided that no pupil shall be excluded from or
segregated in any such school on account of his color,
race, sex, or nationality. The board shall take into
consideration the prevention of segregation and the
elimination of separation of children in public schools
because of color, race, sex, or nationality. Except that
children may be committed to or attend parental and social
adjustment schools established and maintained either for
boys or girls only. All records pertaining to the
creation, alteration or revision of attendance areas shall
be open to the public. Nothing herein shall limit the
board's authority to establish multi-area attendance
centers or other student assignment systems for
desegregation purposes or otherwise, and to apportion the
pupils to the several schools. Furthermore, beginning in
school year 1994-95, pursuant to a board plan adopted by
October 1, 1993, the board shall offer, commencing on a

HB3522 Enrolled - 26 - LRB104 11387 LNS 21475 b
phased-in basis, the opportunity for families within the
school district to apply for enrollment of their children
in any attendance center within the school district which
does not have selective admission requirements approved by
the board. The appropriate geographical area in which such
open enrollment may be exercised shall be determined by
the board of education. Such children may be admitted to
any such attendance center on a space available basis
after all children residing within such attendance
center's area have been accommodated. If the number of
applicants from outside the attendance area exceed the
space available, then successful applicants shall be
selected by lottery. The board of education's open
enrollment plan must include provisions that allow
low-income students to have access to transportation
needed to exercise school choice. Open enrollment shall be
in compliance with the provisions of the Consent Decree
and Desegregation Plan cited in Section 34-1.01;
8. To approve programs and policies for providing
transportation services to students. Nothing herein shall
be construed to permit or empower the State Board of
Education to order, mandate, or require busing or other
transportation of pupils for the purpose of achieving
racial balance in any school;
9. Subject to the limitations in this Article, to
establish and approve system-wide curriculum objectives

HB3522 Enrolled - 27 - LRB104 11387 LNS 21475 b
and standards, including graduation standards, which
reflect the multi-cultural diversity in the city and are
consistent with State law, provided that for all purposes
of this Article courses or proficiency in American Sign
Language shall be deemed to constitute courses or
proficiency in a foreign language; and to employ
principals and teachers, appointed as provided in this
Article, and fix their compensation. The board shall
prepare such reports related to minimal competency testing
as may be requested by the State Board of Education and, in
addition, shall monitor and approve special education and
bilingual education programs and policies within the
district to ensure that appropriate services are provided
in accordance with applicable State and federal laws to
children requiring services and education in those areas;
10. To employ non-teaching personnel or utilize
volunteer personnel for: (i) non-teaching duties not
requiring instructional judgment or evaluation of pupils,
including library duties; and (ii) supervising study
halls, long distance teaching reception areas used
incident to instructional programs transmitted by
electronic media such as computers, video, and audio,
detention and discipline areas, and school-sponsored
extracurricular activities. The board may further utilize
volunteer nonlicensed personnel or employ nonlicensed
personnel to assist in the instruction of pupils under the

HB3522 Enrolled - 28 - LRB104 11387 LNS 21475 b
immediate supervision of a teacher holding a valid
educator license, directly engaged in teaching subject
matter or conducting activities; provided that the teacher
shall be continuously aware of the nonlicensed persons'
activities and shall be able to control or modify them.
The general superintendent shall determine qualifications
of such personnel and shall prescribe rules for
determining the duties and activities to be assigned to
such personnel;
10.5. To utilize volunteer personnel from a regional
School Crisis Assistance Team (S.C.A.T.), created as part
of the Safe to Learn Program established pursuant to
Section 25 of the Illinois Violence Prevention Act of
1995, to provide assistance to schools in times of
violence or other traumatic incidents within a school
community by providing crisis intervention services to
lessen the effects of emotional trauma on individuals and
the community; the School Crisis Assistance Team Steering
Committee shall determine the qualifications for
volunteers;
11. To provide television studio facilities in not to
exceed one school building and to provide programs for
educational purposes, provided, however, that the board
shall not construct, acquire, operate, or maintain a
television transmitter; to grant the use of its studio
facilities to a licensed television station located in the

HB3522 Enrolled - 29 - LRB104 11387 LNS 21475 b
school district; and to maintain and operate not to exceed
one school radio transmitting station and provide programs
for educational purposes;
12. To offer, if deemed appropriate, outdoor education
courses, including field trips within the State of
Illinois, or adjacent states, and to use school
educational funds for the expense of the said outdoor
educational programs, whether within the school district
or not;
13. During that period of the calendar year not
embraced within the regular school term, to provide and
conduct courses in subject matters normally embraced in
the program of the schools during the regular school term
and to give regular school credit for satisfactory
completion by the student of such courses as may be
approved for credit by the State Board of Education;
14. To insure against any loss or liability of the
board, the former School Board Nominating Commission,
Local School Councils, the Chicago Schools Academic
Accountability Council, or the former Subdistrict Councils
or of any member, officer, agent, or employee thereof,
resulting from alleged violations of civil rights arising
from incidents occurring on or after September 5, 1967 or
from the wrongful or negligent act or omission of any such
person whether occurring within or without the school
premises, provided the officer, agent, or employee was, at

HB3522 Enrolled - 30 - LRB104 11387 LNS 21475 b
the time of the alleged violation of civil rights or
wrongful act or omission, acting within the scope of his
or her employment or under direction of the board, the
former School Board Nominating Commission, the Chicago
Schools Academic Accountability Council, Local School
Councils, or the former Subdistrict Councils; and to
provide for or participate in insurance plans for its
officers and employees, including, but not limited to,
retirement annuities, medical, surgical and
hospitalization benefits in such types and amounts as may
be determined by the board; provided, however, that the
board shall contract for such insurance only with an
insurance company authorized to do business in this State.
Such insurance may include provision for employees who
rely on treatment by prayer or spiritual means alone for
healing, in accordance with the tenets and practice of a
recognized religious denomination;
15. To contract with the corporate authorities of any
municipality or the county board of any county, as the
case may be, to provide for the regulation of traffic in
parking areas of property used for school purposes, in
such manner as is provided by Section 11-209 of the
Illinois Vehicle Code;
16. In this paragraph 16:
"Direct admissions information" means a student's
name, home address, birth date, telephone number, email

HB3522 Enrolled - 31 - LRB104 11387 LNS 21475 b
address, cumulative grade point average, and high school.
"Directory information" means a high school student's
name, home address, birth date, and telephone number.
"Public institution of higher education" has the
meaning given to that term in the Board of Higher
Education Act.
(a) To provide, on an equal basis and consistent with
the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of
1974 and the Illinois School Student Records Act, access
to a high school campus and student directory information
to the official recruiting representatives of the armed
forces of Illinois and the United States, to the Illinois
Student Assistance Commission, and to public institutions
of higher education for the purposes of informing students
of the educational and career opportunities available in
the military if the board has provided such access to
persons or groups whose purpose is to acquaint students
with educational or occupational opportunities available
to them. The board is not required to give greater notice
regarding the right of access to recruiting
representatives than is given to other persons and groups.
In this paragraph 16, "directory information" means a high
school student's name, address, and telephone number.
(a-5) To provide, on an equal basis and consistent
with the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
of 1974 and the Illinois School Student Records Act,

HB3522 Enrolled - 32 - LRB104 11387 LNS 21475 b
access to student direct admissions information to the
Illinois Student Assistance Commission for the purpose of
the direct admission program.
(b) If a student or his or her parent or guardian
submits a signed, written request to the high school
before the end of the student's sophomore year (or if the
student is a transfer student, by another time set by the
high school) that indicates that the student or his or her
parent or guardian does not want the student's directory
information to be provided to official recruiting
representatives, to the Illinois Student Assistance
Commission, and to public institutions of higher education
under subparagraph subsection (a) of this paragraph 16 of
this Section, the high school may not provide access to
the student's directory information to these recruiting
representatives, the Illinois Student Assistance
Commission, and public institutions of higher education.
The high school shall notify its students and their
parents or guardians of the provisions of this
subparagraph subsection (b).
(b-5) If a student who is 18 years of age or older or
the parent or guardian of a student under 18 years of age
submits a signed, written or electronic consent that
indicates that the student or his or her parent or
guardian does permit the student's direct admissions
information to be provided, the high school shall provide

HB3522 Enrolled - 33 - LRB104 11387 LNS 21475 b
the student's direct admissions information to the
Illinois Student Assistance Commission.
The Illinois Student Assistance Commission shall provide
template opt-in language to those school districts maintaining
grades 10 through 12, which shall be made available on the
Commission's website no later than June 30, 2025. The template
opt-in language shall specify that if the student or the
student's parent or guardian provides consent, the student's
direct admissions information will be sent to the Illinois
Student Assistance Commission and the direct admissions
information may, as needed for the administration of the
direct admission program under the Public University Direct
Admission Program Act, be redisclosed to the Board of Higher
Education, the Illinois Community College Board, public
universities for which the student qualifies under the direct
admission program, the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign and the University of Illinois at Chicago if
the student qualifies under Section 20 of the Public
University Direct Admission Program Act, the community college
district where the student resides, and, if applicable, a
third party that operates a statewide student application
portal. The template opt-in language shall also specify that
direct admissions information may not be redisclosed to any
other individual or entity unless the opt-in language notifies
the student or the student's parent or guardian of such
redisclosure and the student or the student's parent or

HB3522 Enrolled - 34 - LRB104 11387 LNS 21475 b
guardian consents to the redisclosure.
The high school shall notify its students and their
parents or guardians of the provisions of this subparagraph
(b-5) and, at the time of school registration or at other
appropriate times prior to the end of a student's junior year,
give its students and their parents or guardians the option
for the student information to be shared for the purpose of the
direct admission program.
(c) A high school may require official recruiting
representatives of the armed forces of Illinois and the
United States to pay a fee for copying and mailing a
student's directory information in an amount that is not
more than the actual costs incurred by the high school.
(d) Information received by an official recruiting
representative under this Section may be used only to
provide information to students concerning educational and
career opportunities. Information available in the
military and may not be released to a person who is not
involved in recruiting students for the armed forces of
Illinois or the United States or providing educational
opportunity information for the Board of Higher Education,
the Illinois Community College Board, the Illinois Student
Assistance Commission, or public institutions of higher
education.
(e) By July 1, 2026 and each July 1 thereafter, the
school district shall make student directory information

HB3522 Enrolled - 35 - LRB104 11387 LNS 21475 b
electronically accessible for official recruiting
representatives of the armed forces of Illinois or the
United States, to the Illinois Student Assistance
Commission, and to public institutions of higher
education;
(f) By July 1, 2026 and each July 1 thereafter, the
school district shall make student direct admissions
information electronically accessible through a secure,
centralized data system to the Illinois Student Assistance
Commission for the purpose of the direct admission
program.
(g) The Board of Higher Education, the Illinois
Community College Board, the Illinois Student Assistance
Commission, and the State Board of Education may adopt any
rules necessary to administer this paragraph 16.
17. (a) To sell or market any computer program
developed by an employee of the school district, provided
that such employee developed the computer program as a
direct result of his or her duties with the school
district or through the utilization of school district
resources or facilities. The employee who developed the
computer program shall be entitled to share in the
proceeds of such sale or marketing of the computer
program. The distribution of such proceeds between the
employee and the school district shall be as agreed upon
by the employee and the school district, except that

HB3522 Enrolled - 36 - LRB104 11387 LNS 21475 b
neither the employee nor the school district may receive
more than 90% of such proceeds. The negotiation for an
employee who is represented by an exclusive bargaining
representative may be conducted by such bargaining
representative at the employee's request.
(b) For the purpose of this paragraph 17:
(1) "Computer" means an internally programmed, general
purpose digital device capable of automatically accepting
data, processing data and supplying the results of the
operation.
(2) "Computer program" means a series of coded
instructions or statements in a form acceptable to a
computer, which causes the computer to process data in
order to achieve a certain result.
(3) "Proceeds" means profits derived from the
marketing or sale of a product after deducting the
expenses of developing and marketing such product;
18. To delegate to the general superintendent of
schools, by resolution, the authority to approve contracts
and expenditures in amounts of $35,000 or less;
19. Upon the written request of an employee, to
withhold from the compensation of that employee any dues,
payments, or contributions payable by such employee to any
labor organization as defined in the Illinois Educational
Labor Relations Act. Under such arrangement, an amount
shall be withheld from each regular payroll period which

HB3522 Enrolled - 37 - LRB104 11387 LNS 21475 b
is equal to the pro rata share of the annual dues plus any
payments or contributions, and the board shall transmit
such withholdings to the specified labor organization
within 10 working days from the time of the withholding;
19a. Upon receipt of notice from the comptroller of a
municipality with a population of 500,000 or more, a
county with a population of 3,000,000 or more, the Cook
County Forest Preserve District, the Chicago Park
District, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, the
Chicago Transit Authority, or a housing authority of a
municipality with a population of 500,000 or more that a
debt is due and owing the municipality, the county, the
Cook County Forest Preserve District, the Chicago Park
District, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, the
Chicago Transit Authority, or the housing authority by an
employee of the Chicago Board of Education, to withhold,
from the compensation of that employee, the amount of the
debt that is due and owing and pay the amount withheld to
the municipality, the county, the Cook County Forest
Preserve District, the Chicago Park District, the
Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, the Chicago
Transit Authority, or the housing authority; provided,
however, that the amount deducted from any one salary or
wage payment shall not exceed 25% of the net amount of the
payment. Before the Board deducts any amount from any
salary or wage of an employee under this paragraph, the

HB3522 Enrolled - 38 - LRB104 11387 LNS 21475 b
municipality, the county, the Cook County Forest Preserve
District, the Chicago Park District, the Metropolitan
Water Reclamation District, the Chicago Transit Authority,
or the housing authority shall certify that (i) the
employee has been afforded an opportunity for a hearing to
dispute the debt that is due and owing the municipality,
the county, the Cook County Forest Preserve District, the
Chicago Park District, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation
District, the Chicago Transit Authority, or the housing
authority and (ii) the employee has received notice of a
wage deduction order and has been afforded an opportunity
for a hearing to object to the order. For purposes of this
paragraph, "net amount" means that part of the salary or
wage payment remaining after the deduction of any amounts
required by law to be deducted and "debt due and owing"
means (i) a specified sum of money owed to the
municipality, the county, the Cook County Forest Preserve
District, the Chicago Park District, the Metropolitan
Water Reclamation District, the Chicago Transit Authority,
or the housing authority for services, work, or goods,
after the period granted for payment has expired, or (ii)
a specified sum of money owed to the municipality, the
county, the Cook County Forest Preserve District, the
Chicago Park District, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation
District, the Chicago Transit Authority, or the housing
authority pursuant to a court order or order of an

HB3522 Enrolled - 39 - LRB104 11387 LNS 21475 b
administrative hearing officer after the exhaustion of, or
the failure to exhaust, judicial review;
20. The board is encouraged to employ a sufficient
number of licensed school counselors to maintain a
student/counselor ratio of 250 to 1. Each counselor shall
spend at least 75% of his work time in direct contact with
students and shall maintain a record of such time;
21. To make available to students vocational and
career counseling and to establish 5 special career
counseling days for students and parents. On these days
representatives of local businesses and industries shall
be invited to the school campus and shall inform students
of career opportunities available to them in the various
businesses and industries. Special consideration shall be
given to counseling minority students as to career
opportunities available to them in various fields. For the
purposes of this paragraph, minority student means a
person who is any of the following:
(a) American Indian or Alaska Native (a person having
origins in any of the original peoples of North and South
America, including Central America, and who maintains
tribal affiliation or community attachment).
(b) Asian (a person having origins in any of the
original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the
Indian subcontinent, including, but not limited to,
Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan,

HB3522 Enrolled - 40 - LRB104 11387 LNS 21475 b
the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam).
(c) Black or African American (a person having origins
in any of the black racial groups of Africa).
(d) Hispanic or Latino (a person of Cuban, Mexican,
Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish
culture or origin, regardless of race).
(e) Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander (a
person having origins in any of the original peoples of
Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands).
Counseling days shall not be in lieu of regular school
days;
22. To report to the State Board of Education the
annual student dropout rate and number of students who
graduate from, transfer from, or otherwise leave bilingual
programs;
23. Except as otherwise provided in the Abused and
Neglected Child Reporting Act or other applicable State or
federal law, to permit school officials to withhold, from
any person, information on the whereabouts of any child
removed from school premises when the child has been taken
into protective custody as a victim of suspected child
abuse. School officials shall direct such person to the
Department of Children and Family Services or to the local
law enforcement agency, if appropriate;
24. To develop a policy, based on the current state of
existing school facilities, projected enrollment, and

HB3522 Enrolled - 41 - LRB104 11387 LNS 21475 b
efficient utilization of available resources, for capital
improvement of schools and school buildings within the
district, addressing in that policy both the relative
priority for major repairs, renovations, and additions to
school facilities and the advisability or necessity of
building new school facilities or closing existing schools
to meet current or projected demographic patterns within
the district;
25. To make available to the students in every high
school attendance center the ability to take all courses
necessary to comply with the Board of Higher Education's
college entrance criteria effective in 1993;
26. To encourage mid-career changes into the teaching
profession, whereby qualified professionals become
licensed teachers, by allowing credit for professional
employment in related fields when determining point of
entry on the teacher pay scale;
27. To provide or contract out training programs for
administrative personnel and principals with revised or
expanded duties pursuant to this Code in order to ensure
they have the knowledge and skills to perform their
duties;
28. To establish a fund for the prioritized special
needs programs, and to allocate such funds and other lump
sum amounts to each attendance center in a manner
consistent with the provisions of part 4 of Section

HB3522 Enrolled - 42 - LRB104 11387 LNS 21475 b
34-2.3. Nothing in this paragraph shall be construed to
require any additional appropriations of State funds for
this purpose;
29. (Blank);
30. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act or
any other law to the contrary, to contract with third
parties for services otherwise performed by employees,
including those in a bargaining unit, and to lay off
layoff those employees upon 14 days' days written notice
to the affected employees. Those contracts may be for a
period not to exceed 5 years and may be awarded on a
system-wide basis. The board may not operate more than 30
contract schools, provided that the board may operate an
additional 5 contract turnaround schools pursuant to item
(5.5) of subsection (d) of Section 34-8.3 of this Code,
and the governing bodies of contract schools are subject
to the Freedom of Information Act and Open Meetings Act;
31. To promulgate rules establishing procedures
governing the layoff or reduction in force of employees
and the recall of such employees, including, but not
limited to, criteria for such layoffs, reductions in force
or recall rights of such employees and the weight to be
given to any particular criterion. Such criteria shall
take into account factors, including, but not limited to,
qualifications, certifications, experience, performance
ratings or evaluations, and any other factors relating to

HB3522 Enrolled - 43 - LRB104 11387 LNS 21475 b
an employee's job performance;
32. To develop a policy to prevent nepotism in the
hiring of personnel or the selection of contractors;
33. (Blank); and
34. To establish a Labor Management Council to the
board comprised of representatives of the board, the chief
executive officer, and those labor organizations that are
the exclusive representatives of employees of the board
and to promulgate policies and procedures for the
operation of the Council.
The specifications of the powers herein granted are not to
be construed as exclusive, but the board shall also exercise
all other powers that may be requisite or proper for the
maintenance and the development of a public school system, not
inconsistent with the other provisions of this Article or
provisions of this Code which apply to all school districts.
In addition to the powers herein granted and authorized to
be exercised by the board, it shall be the duty of the board to
review or to direct independent reviews of special education
expenditures and services. The board shall file a report of
such review with the General Assembly on or before May 1, 1990.
(Source: P.A. 102-465, eff. 1-1-22; 102-558, eff. 8-20-21;
102-894, eff. 5-20-22; 103-8, eff. 1-1-24; revised 7-17-24.)
Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.