Bill Text: IL HB4577 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Amends the School Boards Article of the School Code. Provides that no public high school of a school district may punish or penalize a student because of an unpaid balance on the student's school account. Removes a provision making the prohibition on withholding a student's grades, transcripts, or diploma because of an unpaid balance inoperative beginning 3 years from May 6, 2022. Effective immediately.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2)

Status: (Failed) 2025-01-07 - Session Sine Die [HB4577 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2023-HB4577-Introduced.html

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103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2023 and 2024 HB4577 Introduced , by Rep. Joyce Mason SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
105 ILCS 5/10-20.9a from Ch. 122, par. 10-20.9a
Amends the School Boards Article of the School Code. Provides that no public high school of a school district may punish or penalize a student because of an unpaid balance on the student's school account. Removes a provision making the prohibition on withholding a student's grades, transcripts, or diploma because of an unpaid balance inoperative beginning 3 years from May 5, 2022. Effective immediately.
LRB103 38876 RJT 69013 b
STATE MANDATES ACT MAY REQUIRE REIMBURSEMENT MAY APPLY
A BILL FOR
HB4577 LRB103 38876 RJT 69013 b
AN ACT concerning education.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Section
10-20.9a as follows:
(105 ILCS 5/10-20.9a) (from Ch. 122, par. 10-20.9a)
Sec. 10-20.9a. Final grade; promotion; student account
balance.
(a) Teachers shall administer the approved marking system
or other approved means of evaluating pupil progress. The
teacher shall maintain the responsibility and right to
determine grades and other evaluations of students within the
grading policies of the district based upon his or her
professional judgment of available criteria pertinent to any
given subject area or activity for which he or she is
responsible. District policy shall provide the procedure and
reasons by and for which a grade may be changed; provided that
no grade or evaluation shall be changed without notification
to the teacher concerning the nature and reasons for such
change. If such a change is made, the person making the change
shall assume such responsibility for determining the grade or
evaluation, and shall initial such change.
(b) School districts shall not promote students to the

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next higher grade level based upon age or any other social
reasons not related to the academic performance of the
students. On or before September 1, 1998, school boards shall
adopt and enforce a policy on promotion as they deem necessary
to ensure that students meet local goals and objectives and
can perform at the expected grade level prior to promotion.
Decisions to promote or retain students in any classes shall
be based on successful completion of the curriculum,
attendance, performance based on the assessments required
under Section 2-3.64a-5 of this Code, the Iowa Test of Basic
Skills, or other testing or any other criteria established by
the school board. Students determined by the local district to
not qualify for promotion to the next higher grade shall be
provided remedial assistance, which may include, but shall not
be limited to, a summer bridge program of no less than 90
hours, tutorial sessions, increased or concentrated
instructional time, modifications to instructional materials,
and retention in grade.
(c) No public high school of a school district shall
withhold a student's grades, transcripts, or diploma or
otherwise punish or penalize the student because of an unpaid
balance on the student's school account.
At the end of each school year, the school district shall
catalogue and report to the State Board of Education the total
amount that remains unpaid by students due to the prohibition
under this subsection (c).

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(d) (Blank). On and after 3 years from the effective date
of this amendatory Act of the 102nd General Assembly,
subsection (c) is inoperative.
(Source: P.A. 102-727, eff. 5-6-22.)