Bill Text: IL HJR0115 | 2017-2018 | 100th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Urges the U.S. Department of Education to actively sustain the school discipline guidance released by the Departments of Education and Justice in 2014, and the State of Illinois and Illinois State Board of Education to uphold the original school discipline guidance released by the Department of Education and Justice in 2014, regardless of the decision made by the U.S. Department of Education.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 12-0)
Status: (Passed) 2018-05-31 - Adopted Both Houses [HJR0115 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2017-HJR0115-Introduced.html
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1 | HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, In 2014, the United States Department of Education | ||||||
3 | and the United States Department of Justice issued guidance | ||||||
4 | through the Dear Colleague Letter on the Nondiscriminatory | ||||||
5 | Administration of
School Discipline on January 8, 2014, to | ||||||
6 | assist public schools with administering student discipline
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7 | without discriminating on the basis of race, color, or national | ||||||
8 | origin; and
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9 | WHEREAS, Every student is entitled to equal education | ||||||
10 | opportunities regardless of race, color, or national
origin; | ||||||
11 | and
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12 | WHEREAS, This guidance addresses the school-to-prison | ||||||
13 | pipeline, a problematic trend in which students of color are | ||||||
14 | disproportionately suspended, expelled, arrested, and exposed | ||||||
15 | to law enforcement; and
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16 | WHEREAS, Under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, | ||||||
17 | states, school districts, and schools must not
intentionally | ||||||
18 | treat students differently nor implement policies or practices | ||||||
19 | in providing educational
resources that disproportionately | ||||||
20 | affect students based on race, color, or national origin, as | ||||||
21 | this
discrimination is prohibited; and
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1 | WHEREAS, According to U.S. Education Department data, | ||||||
2 | research shows that racial disparities in school
discipline | ||||||
3 | contribute to adverse impacts on the student achievement gap, | ||||||
4 | including lower grades, higher
dropout rates, higher | ||||||
5 | incarceration rates, and reduction of important instructional | ||||||
6 | time due to
exclusionary discipline; and
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7 | WHEREAS, Black female students in Illinois are more than | ||||||
8 | 7.5 times more likely to have multiple out-of-school
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9 | suspensions than white female students; and
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10 | WHEREAS, Latino students in Illinois are nearly 1.5 times | ||||||
11 | more likely to have multiple out-of-school
suspensions than | ||||||
12 | white students; and
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13 | WHEREAS, Black students in Illinois are two times more | ||||||
14 | likely to be referred to law enforcement by their
schools than | ||||||
15 | white students; and
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16 | WHEREAS, Higher rates of suspension are related to higher | ||||||
17 | rates of future antisocial behaviors and
involvement in the | ||||||
18 | juvenile justice system; and
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19 | WHEREAS, Data from Chicago educators suggests only 20% of | ||||||
20 | educators feel they have received "at least
effective" training | ||||||
21 | on restorative justice; and
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1 | WHEREAS, In acknowledgement of said disparities, Illinois | ||||||
2 | passed Senate Bill 100 in 2015 in recognition
of the growing | ||||||
3 | national and local movements focused on breaking down the | ||||||
4 | school-to-prison pipeline and
reducing exclusionary discipline | ||||||
5 | practices; and
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6 | WHEREAS, Those schools and districts that have prioritized | ||||||
7 | implementation of restorative practices as a result of Senate | ||||||
8 | Bill 100 of the 99th General Assembly have seen significant | ||||||
9 | reductions in suspensions, expulsions, and notifications; and
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10 | WHEREAS, In accordance with Title VI, data suggest via the | ||||||
11 | U.S. Department of Education and the U.S.
Department of Justice | ||||||
12 | that this current guidance on how to identify, avoid, and | ||||||
13 | remedy discriminatory
discipline will assist schools in | ||||||
14 | providing all students with equal educational opportunities; | ||||||
15 | and
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16 | WHEREAS, Equitable discipline policies are crucial to | ||||||
17 | creating safe and welcoming school environments,
improving a | ||||||
18 | school's climate and culture, and ultimately increasing | ||||||
19 | overall student engagement and
achievement; and
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20 | WHEREAS, Given the aforementioned data and concerns, | ||||||
21 | Illinois must reaffirm its commitment to dismantling the |
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1 | school-to-prison pipeline and ensuring that we are educating | ||||||
2 | and preparing all our young people to build a brighter future | ||||||
3 | for themselves and our State; therefore, be it
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4 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
5 | HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE SENATE | ||||||
6 | CONCURRING HEREIN, that we urge the U.S. Department of | ||||||
7 | Education to actively sustain the school discipline guidance | ||||||
8 | released by the Departments of Education and Justice in 2014, | ||||||
9 | and the State of Illinois and Illinois State Board of Education | ||||||
10 | to uphold the original school discipline guidance released by | ||||||
11 | the Department of Education and Justice in 2014, regardless of | ||||||
12 | the decision made by the U.S. Department of Education; and be | ||||||
13 | it further
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14 | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | ||||||
15 | delivered to United States Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, | ||||||
16 | Illinois State Superintendent of Education Tony Smith,
and | ||||||
17 | Illinois State Board of Education Chairman James T. Meeks.
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