Bill Text: IL SB2270 | 2025-2026 | 104th General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Amends the School Code. Provides that, beginning with the 2026-2027 school year, every public elementary school and high school shall include in its curriculum a unit of instruction studying the events of Latina and Latino history, including the history of Latinas and Latinos in Illinois and the Midwest, as well as the contributions of Latinas and Latinos toward advancing civil rights from the 19th century onward. Provides that these events shall include the contributions made by individual Latinas and Latinos in government and the arts, humanities, and sciences, as well as the contributions of Latina and Latino communities to the economic, cultural, social, and political development of the United States. Provides that the studying of this material shall constitute an affirmation by students of their commitment to respect the dignity of all races and peoples and to forever eschew every form of discrimination in their lives and careers. Establishes requirements for the State Superintendent of Education, regional superintendents, and each school board concerning instructional materials and guidelines. Permits a school to meet requirements through an online program or course.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 4)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2026-03-31 - Added as Co-Sponsor Sen. Adriane L. Johnson [SB2270 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2025-SB2270-Introduced.html

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104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 SB2270 Introduced 2/7/2025, by Sen. Celina Villanueva SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
105 ILCS 5/27-20.9 new
Amends the School Code. Provides that, beginning with the 2026-2027 school year, every public elementary school and high school shall include in its curriculum a unit of instruction studying the events of Latina and Latino history, including the history of Latinas and Latinos in Illinois and the Midwest, as well as the contributions of Latinas and Latinos toward advancing civil rights from the 19th century onward. Provides that these events shall include the contributions made by individual Latinas and Latinos in government and the arts, humanities, and sciences, as well as the contributions of Latina and Latino communities to the economic, cultural, social, and political development of the United States. Provides that the studying of this material shall constitute an affirmation by students of their commitment to respect the dignity of all races and peoples and to forever eschew every form of discrimination in their lives and careers. Establishes requirements for the State Superintendent of Education, regional superintendents, and each school board concerning instructional materials and guidelines. Permits a school to meet requirements through an online program or course.
LRB104 09845 LNS 19913 b
A BILL FOR
SB2270 LRB104 09845 LNS 19913 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 adding Section
27-20.9 as follows:
(105 ILCS 5/27-20.9 new)
Sec. 27-20.9. Latina and Latino studies.
(a) Beginning with the 2026-2027 school year, every public
elementary school and high school shall include in its
curriculum a unit of instruction studying the events of Latina
and Latino history, including the history of Latinas and
Latinos in Illinois and the Midwest, as well as the
contributions of Latinas and Latinos toward advancing civil
rights from the 19th century onward. These events shall
include the contributions made by individual Latinas and
Latinos in government and the arts, humanities, and sciences,
as well as the contributions of Latina and Latino communities
to the economic, cultural, social, and political development
of the United States. The studying of this material shall
constitute an affirmation by students of their commitment to
respect the dignity of all races and peoples and to forever
eschew every form of discrimination in their lives and
careers.

SB2270 - 2 - LRB104 09845 LNS 19913 b
(b) The State Superintendent of Education may prepare and
make available to all school boards instructional materials,
including those established by the Public Broadcasting
Service, that may be used as guidelines for development of a
unit of instruction under this Section. However, each school
board shall itself determine the minimum amount of
instructional time that qualifies as a unit of instruction
satisfying the requirements of this Section.
(c) A regional superintendent of schools shall monitor a
school district's compliance with this Section's curricular
requirements during his or her annual compliance visit.
(d) A school may meet the requirements of this Section
through an online program or course.