Bill Text: IL SB2821 | 2025-2026 | 104th General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Amends the School Code. Provides that the school board of each school district shall report for each of the school district's schools specified information regarding learning materials and activities used for student instruction in a prominent location on the school district's website. Requires a school board to provide updated information on the school district's website by January 1 and August 1 of each year and more frequently as the school board deems appropriate. Provides that nothing may be construed to require: (1) the publication of a digital reproduction of learning materials on a school district's website; or (2) a separate listing of the individual components of learning materials produced as a single volume. Allows a school district to: (1) update the report and post the updated report on the school district's website on an ongoing basis during the school year, as long as the updated report is completed by January 1 and August 1; and (2) use a collaborative online document or spreadsheet software that allows multiple authorized users to update or make additions to the report on an ongoing basis, as long as a link to the report is publicly accessible on the school district's website. Requires each school district's report to remain publicly available on the school district's website at least until the next report for the year is completed and made publicly available on the school district's website. Provides that each school district's report shall include a step-by-step process on how a parent or guardian of a student attending a school within the school district can opt-out a child from any learning materials or activities provided by the school if the learning materials or activities conflict with the student's religious beliefs. Effective July 1, 2026.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 1)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2026-01-13 - Referred to Assignments [SB2821 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2025-SB2821-Introduced.html

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104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026SB2821 Introduced 1/13/2026, by Sen. Chris Balkema SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
105 ILCS 5/10-20.88 new
105 ILCS 5/34-18.88 new
Amends the School Code. Provides that the school board of each school district shall report for each of the school district's schools specified information regarding learning materials and activities used for student instruction in a prominent location on the school district's website. Requires a school board to provide updated information on the school district's website by January 1 and August 1 of each year and more frequently as the school board deems appropriate. Provides that nothing may be construed to require: (1) the publication of a digital reproduction of learning materials on a school district's website; or (2) a separate listing of the individual components of learning materials produced as a single volume. Allows a school district to: (1) update the report and post the updated report on the school district's website on an ongoing basis during the school year, as long as the updated report is completed by January 1 and August 1; and (2) use a collaborative online document or spreadsheet software that allows multiple authorized users to update or make additions to the report on an ongoing basis, as long as a link to the report is publicly accessible on the school district's website. Requires each school district's report to remain publicly available on the school district's website at least until the next report for the year is completed and made publicly available on the school district's website. Provides that each school district's report shall include a step-by-step process on how a parent or guardian of a student attending a school within the school district can opt-out a child from any learning materials or activities provided by the school if the learning materials or activities conflict with the student's religious beliefs. Effective July 1, 2026.
LRB104 15185 LNS 28329 b
A BILL FOR
SB2821 LRB104 15185 LNS 28329 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 Sections
10-20.88 and 34-18.88 as follows:
(105 ILCS 5/10-20.88 new)
Sec. 10-20.88. Learning materials and activities report.
(a) In this Section:
"Activities" includes, but is not limited to, student
assemblies, guest lectures, educational events facilitated by
a school's administration or staff, or educational events
conducted by outside individuals or organizations.
"Learning materials" includes, but is not limited to, any
of the following:
(1) instructional material that consists of content
that conveys to a student through a medium or a
combination of media the essential knowledge, information,
and skills pertaining to a subject included in a public
school's curriculum. In this paragraph, "instructional
material" includes: a book or books; workbooks;
supplementary materials; a combination of a book or books,
workbooks, and supplementary materials; computer software,
magnetic media, DVDs, CD-ROMs, computer courseware, online

SB2821 - 2 - LRB104 15185 LNS 28329 b
services, or an electronic medium; or other means of
conveying information to a student or otherwise
contributing to the learning process through electronic
means, including through open education resource
instructional material as described in paragraph (2);
(2) open education resource instructional material
that consists of teaching, learning, and research
resources that reside in the public domain or have been
released under an intellectual property license and allows
for the free use, reuse, modification, and sharing of
resources with others. In this paragraph, "open education
resource instructional material" includes full courses,
course materials, modules, textbooks, streaming videos,
tests or exams, software, or any other tools, materials,
or techniques used to support access to knowledge, and
also includes State-developed open education resource
instructional material;
(3) teaching aids; and
(4) any other material used for student instruction in
which a student has the option to select the material. In
this paragraph, "used for student instruction" means
assigned, provided, or otherwise presented to a school's
students in (i) any course for which students receive
academic credit or (ii) any educational capacity in which
participation of the student body is required by the
school or in which a majority of the students in a

SB2821 - 3 - LRB104 15185 LNS 28329 b
particular grade level participate.
(b) Beginning with the 2026-2027 school year, the school
board of each school district shall report for each of the
school district's schools the following information in a
prominent location on the school district's website:
(1) a list of the learning materials and activities
that are to be used for student instruction during the
school year. The list of learning materials and activities
shall be organized, at a minimum, by grade level and
subject area; and
(2) any procedures that are in effect at each school
for the documentation, review, or approval by the school's
administrators, principal, or teachers of the learning
materials and activities used for student instruction.
(c) Under this Section, a school board shall provide
updated information on the school district's website by
January 1 and August 1 of each year and more frequently as the
school board deems appropriate. A school board is not required
to report only the information that is necessary to identify
the specific learning materials and activities used for
student instruction at each school. The information reported
must include the title and the author, the name of the
organization, or the Internet address, as appropriate,
associated with each of the learning materials or activities.
Nothing in this Section may be construed to require:
(1) the publication of a digital reproduction of

SB2821 - 4 - LRB104 15185 LNS 28329 b
learning materials on a school district's website; or
(2) a separate listing of the individual components of
learning materials produced as a single volume. However,
if the volume contains works by multiple authors, the
listing shall provide either a table of contents or an
Internet address that discloses the discrete works and
authors contained within the volume.
(d) Under this Section, a school district may, but is not
required to:
(1) update the report and post the updated report on
the school district's website on an ongoing basis during
the school year, as long as the updated report is
completed by January 1 and August 1; and
(2) use a collaborative online document or spreadsheet
software that allows multiple authorized users to update
or make additions to the report on an ongoing basis, as
long as a link to the report is publicly accessible on the
school district's website.
(e) Each school district's report under this Section shall
remain publicly available on the school district's website at
least until the next report for the year is completed and made
publicly available on the school district's website.
(f) Each school district's report shall include a
step-by-step process on how a parent or guardian of a student
attending a school within the school district can opt-out a
child from any learning materials or activities provided by

SB2821 - 5 - LRB104 15185 LNS 28329 b
the school if the learning materials or activities conflict
with the student's religious beliefs. If a parent submits to a
school district that the parent wishes to opt a child out of
any learning materials or activities provided by a school, the
school shall not give the student the opted-out learning
materials or include that student in the opted-out activity.
(105 ILCS 5/34-18.88 new)
Sec. 34-18.88. Learning materials and activities report.
(a) In this Section:
"Activities" includes, but is not limited to, student
assemblies, guest lectures, educational events facilitated by
a school's administration or staff, or educational events
conducted by outside individuals or organizations.
"Learning materials" includes, but is not limited to, any
of the following:
(1) instructional material that consists of content
that conveys to a student through a medium or a
combination of media the essential knowledge, information,
and skills pertaining to a subject included in a public
school's curriculum. In this paragraph, "instructional
material" includes: a book or books; workbooks;
supplementary materials; a combination of a book or books,
workbooks, and supplementary materials; computer software,
magnetic media, DVDs, CD-ROMs, computer courseware, online
services, or an electronic medium; or other means of

SB2821 - 6 - LRB104 15185 LNS 28329 b
conveying information to a student or otherwise
contributing to the learning process through electronic
means, including through open education resource
instructional material as described in paragraph (2);
(2) open education resource instructional material
that consists of teaching, learning, and research
resources that reside in the public domain or have been
released under an intellectual property license and allows
for the free use, reuse, modification, and sharing of
resources with others. In this paragraph, "open education
resource instructional material" includes full courses,
course materials, modules, textbooks, streaming videos,
tests or exams, software, or any other tools, materials,
or techniques used to support access to knowledge, and
also includes State-developed open education resource
instructional material;
(3) teaching aids; and
(4) any other material used for student instruction in
which a student has the option to select the material. In
this paragraph, "used for student instruction" means
assigned, provided, or otherwise presented to a school's
students in (i) any course for which students receive
academic credit or (ii) any educational capacity in which
participation of the student body is required by the
school or in which a majority of the students in a
particular grade level participate.

SB2821 - 7 - LRB104 15185 LNS 28329 b
(b) Beginning with the 2026-2027 school year, the board
shall report for the each of the school district's schools the
following information in a prominent location on the school
district's website:
(1) a list of the learning materials and activities
that are to be used for student instruction during the
school year. The list of learning materials and activities
shall be organized, at a minimum, by grade level and
subject area; and
(2) any procedures that are in effect at each school
for the documentation, review, or approval by the school's
administrators, principal, or teachers of the learning
materials and activities used for student instruction.
(c) Under this Section, the board shall provide updated
information on the school district's website by January 1 and
August 1 of each year and more frequently as the board deems
appropriate. The board is not required to report only the
information that is necessary to identify the specific
learning materials and activities used for student instruction
at each school. The information reported must include the
title and the author, the name of the organization, or the
Internet address, as appropriate, associated with each of the
learning materials or activities. Nothing in this Section may
be construed to require:
(1) the publication of a digital reproduction of
learning materials on the school district's website; or

SB2821 - 8 - LRB104 15185 LNS 28329 b
(2) a separate listing of the individual components of
learning materials produced as a single volume. However,
if the volume contains works by multiple authors, the
listing shall provide either a table of contents or an
Internet address that discloses the discrete works and
authors contained within the volume.
(d) Under this Section, the school district may, but is
not required to:
(1) update the report and post the updated report on
the school district's website on an ongoing basis during
the school year, as long as the updated report is
completed by January 1 and August 1; and
(2) use a collaborative online document or spreadsheet
software that allows multiple authorized users to update
or make additions to the report on an ongoing basis, as
long as a link to the report is publicly accessible on the
school district's website.
(e) The school district's report under this Section shall
remain publicly available on the school district's website at
least until the next report for the year is completed and made
publicly available on the school district's website.
(f) The school district's report shall include a
step-by-step process on how a parent or guardian of a student
attending a school within the school district can opt-out a
child from any learning materials or activities provided by
the school if the learning materials or activities conflict

SB2821 - 9 - LRB104 15185 LNS 28329 b
with the student's religious beliefs. If a parent submits to a
school district that the parent wishes to opt a child out of
any learning materials or activities provided by a school, the
school shall not give the student the opted-out learning
materials or include that student in the opted-out activity.
Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1,
2026.