Bill Text: IL HB3643 | 2019-2020 | 101st General Assembly | Introduced

---

Bill Title: Amends the School Code. Provides for legislative findings. Provides that if a school district employee or volunteer, student, or student's parent or guardian reports a threat made by a student, the principal of that student's school must immediately investigate the threat using specified criteria to determine its credibility; defines "threat". Provides that if the principal determines the threat is credible, he or she shall immediately report the threat to a local law enforcement agency for investigation. Provides that after the principal notifies the local law enforcement agency, the school district must take disciplinary action against the student. Provides that following each reported threat, regardless of whether it was deemed credible, the principal must submit a report to the school board to be reviewed at its next regularly scheduled board meeting or special meeting; specifies the report's requirements. Provides that after the school board reviews the report, the principal must submit the report to the State Board of Education and the State Board must submit an annual report to the General Assembly compiling all of the reports it received in the prior school year. Effective immediately.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2019-03-29 - Rule 19(a) / Re-referred to Rules Committee [HB3643 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2019-HB3643-Introduced.html

---

101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2019 and 2020 HB3643 Introduced , by Rep. Grant Wehrli SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
105 ILCS 5/10-20.69 new
105 ILCS 5/34-18.61 new
Amends the School Code. Provides for legislative findings. Provides that if a school district employee or volunteer, student, or student's parent or guardian reports a threat made by a student, the principal of that student's school must immediately investigate the threat using specified criteria to determine its credibility; defines "threat". Provides that if the principal determines the threat is credible, he or she shall immediately report the threat to a local law enforcement agency for investigation. Provides that after the principal notifies the local law enforcement agency, the school district must take disciplinary action against the student. Provides that following each reported threat, regardless of whether it was deemed credible, the principal must submit a report to the school board to be reviewed at its next regularly scheduled board meeting or special meeting; specifies the report's requirements. Provides that after the school board reviews the report, the principal must submit the report to the State Board of Education and the State Board must submit an annual report to the General Assembly compiling all of the reports it received in the prior school year. Effective immediately.
LRB101 07139 AXK 52177 b
FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY STATE MANDATES ACT MAY REQUIRE REIMBURSEMENT
A BILL FOR
HB3643 LRB101 07139 AXK 52177 b
AN ACT concerning education.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 1. This Act may be referred to as the School Threat
Prevention and Protection Act.
Section 5. The School Code is amended by adding Sections
10-20.69 and 34-18.61 as follows:
(105 ILCS 5/10-20.69 new)
Sec. 10-20.69. School threat prevention.
(a) The General Assembly finds that the number of school
shootings has increased at an alarming rate, causing
policymakers to introduce a number of school safety
initiatives. The General Assembly also finds that the number of
threats made by students against school employees and other
students is ever-increasing, and, in an effort to better
protect students and school employees, it is no longer feasible
to dismiss threats made by a student, regardless of the
student's background or educational attainment or the details
of the threat.
(b) In this Section, "threat" means, but is not limited to,
a student's statement of possible destruction of a school
building or school property or statement of possible violence,

HB3643 - 2 - LRB101 07139 AXK 52177 b
death, or bodily harm directed against a person at a school,
school function, or school event, regardless of whether school
is in session. A threat may be oral, written, or electronically
transmitted.
(c) If a school district employee or volunteer, student, or
student's parent or guardian reports a threat made by a
student, including by a student in a special education program
under Article 14, the principal of that student's school must
immediately investigate the threat using all of the following
criteria to determine its credibility:
(1) Whether the threat is immediate or remote.
(2) Whether the threat constitutes a prediction or
promise of harm to a person or school property.
(3) The plausibility of the threat.
(4) If applicable, how the person who is the object of
the threat reacted.
(5) The factors in the student's personal profile that
would make the threat more or less credible.
(d) If the principal determines the threat is credible, he
or she shall immediately report the threat to a local law
enforcement agency for investigation. After the principal
notifies the local law enforcement agency, the school district
must take disciplinary action against the student under Section
10-22.6.
(e) If the principal determines that the threat is not
credible and does not report it to a local law enforcement

HB3643 - 3 - LRB101 07139 AXK 52177 b
agency and an additional threat is made by that same student,
the principal must notify a local law enforcement agency of the
threat. After the principal notifies the local law enforcement
agency, the school district must take disciplinary action
against the student under Section 10-22.6.
(f) Following each reported threat, regardless of whether
it was deemed credible, the principal must submit a report to
the school board to be reviewed at its next regularly scheduled
board meeting or special meeting. The report shall include
information on the threat, including who made the threat and
the threat's details. This report must be maintained in the
student's school student record. After the school board reviews
the report, the principal must submit the report to the State
Board Education. The State Board must submit an annual report
to the General Assembly compiling all of the reports received
under this subsection in the prior school year.
(105 ILCS 5/34-18.61 new)
Sec. 34-18.61. School threat prevention.
(a) The General Assembly finds that the number of school
shootings has increased at an alarming rate, causing
policymakers to introduce a number of school safety
initiatives. The General Assembly also finds that the number of
threats made by students against school employees and other
students is ever-increasing, and, in an effort to better
protect students and school employees, it is no longer feasible

HB3643 - 4 - LRB101 07139 AXK 52177 b
to dismiss threats made by a student, regardless of the
student's background or educational attainment or the details
of the threat.
(b) In this Section, "threat" means, but is not limited to,
a student's statement of possible destruction of a school
building or school property or statement of possible violence,
death, or bodily harm directed against a person at a school,
school function, or school event, regardless of whether school
is in session. A threat may be oral, written, or electronically
transmitted.
(c) If a school district employee or volunteer, student, or
student's parent or guardian reports a threat made by a
student, including by a student in a special education program
under Article 14, the principal of that student's school must
immediately investigate the threat using all of the following
criteria to determine its credibility:
(1) Whether the threat is immediate or remote.
(2) Whether the threat constitutes a prediction or
promise of harm to a person or school property.
(3) The plausibility of the threat.
(4) If applicable, how the person who is the object of
the threat reacted.
(5) The factors in the student's personal profile that
would make the threat more or less credible.
(d) If the principal determines the threat is credible, he
or she shall immediately report the threat to a local law

HB3643 - 5 - LRB101 07139 AXK 52177 b
enforcement agency for investigation. After the principal
notifies the local law enforcement agency, the school district
must take disciplinary action against the student under Section
10-22.6.
(e) If the principal determines that the threat is not
credible and does not report it to a local law enforcement
agency and an additional threat is made by that same student,
the principal must notify a local law enforcement agency of the
threat. After the principal notifies the local law enforcement
agency, the school district must take disciplinary action
against the student under Section 10-22.6.
(f) Following each reported threat, regardless of whether
it was deemed credible, the principal must submit a report to
the board to be reviewed at its next regularly scheduled board
meeting or special meeting. The report shall include
information on the threat, including who made the threat and
the threat's details. This report must be maintained in the
student's school student record. After the board reviews the
report, the principal must submit the report to the State Board
of Education. The State Board must submit an annual report to
the General Assembly compiling all of the reports received
under this subsection in the prior school year.
Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.