Bill Text: IL SB3249 | 2017-2018 | 100th General Assembly | Engrossed


Bill Title: Amends the School Code. With regard to the textbook block grant program, provides that the textbooks authorized to be purchased must accurately portray the diversity of our society, including the role and contributions of people protected under the Illinois Human Rights Act, and must be non-discriminatory as to certain characteristics under the Act. Provides that the teaching of history of the United States in public schools shall include a study of the role and contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in the history of this country and this State. Requires every public elementary school and high school to include in its curriculum a unit of instruction studying the significant role of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals in society. Specifies instruction requirements. Requires the regional superintendent of schools to monitor a school district's compliance with the curriculum requirements. Effective July 1, 2019.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 32-1)

Status: (Failed) 2019-01-09 - Session Sine Die [SB3249 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2017-SB3249-Engrossed.html



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1 AN ACT concerning education.
2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
4 Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Sections
52-3.155 and 27-21 as follows:
6 (105 ILCS 5/2-3.155)
7 Sec. 2-3.155. Textbook block grant program.
8 (a) The provisions of this Section are in the public
9interest, for the public benefit, and serve secular public
10purposes.
11 (b) As used in this Section, "textbook" means any book or
12book substitute that a pupil uses as a text or text substitute,
13including electronic textbooks. "Textbook" includes books,
14reusable workbooks, manuals, whether bound or in loose-leaf
15form, instructional computer software, and electronic
16textbooks and the technological equipment necessary to gain
17access to and use electronic textbooks intended as a principal
18source of study material for a given class or group of
19students. "Textbook" also includes science curriculum
20materials in a kit format that includes pre-packaged consumable
21materials if (i) it is shown that the materials serve as a
22textbook substitute, (ii) the materials are for use by the
23pupils as a principal learning source, (iii) each component of

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1the materials is integrally necessary to teach the requirements
2of the intended course, (iv) the kit includes teacher guidance
3materials, and (v) the purchase of individual consumable
4materials is not allowed.
5 (c) Beginning July 1, 2011, subject to annual appropriation
6by the General Assembly, the State Board of Education is
7authorized to provide annual funding to public school districts
8and State-recognized, non-public schools serving students in
9grades kindergarten through 12 for the purchase of selected
10textbooks. The textbooks authorized to be purchased under this
11Section are limited without exception to textbooks that have
12been preapproved and designated by the State Board of Education
13for use in any public school and that are secular,
14non-religious, and non-sectarian, and non-discriminatory as to
15any of the characteristics under the Illinois Human Rights Act.
16Textbooks authorized to be purchased under this Section must
17include the roles and contributions of all people protected
18under the Illinois Human Rights Act. The State Board of
19Education shall annually publish a list of the textbooks
20authorized to be purchased under this Section. Each public
21school district and State-recognized, non-public school shall,
22subject to appropriations for that purpose, receive a per pupil
23grant for the purchase of secular and non-discriminatory
24textbooks. The per pupil grant amount must be calculated by the
25State Board of Education utilizing the total appropriation made
26for these purposes divided by the most current student

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1enrollment data available.
2 (d) The State Board of Education may adopt rules as
3necessary for the implementation of this Section and to ensure
4the religious neutrality of the textbook block grant program,
5as well as provide for the monitoring of all textbooks
6authorized in this Section to be purchased directly by
7State-recognized, nonpublic schools serving students in grades
8kindergarten through 12.
9(Source: P.A. 97-570, eff. 8-25-11; 97-813, eff. 7-13-12.)
10 (105 ILCS 5/27-21) (from Ch. 122, par. 27-21)
11 Sec. 27-21. History of United States. History of the United
12States shall be taught in all public schools and in all other
13educational institutions in this State supported or
14maintained, in whole or in part, by public funds. The teaching
15of history shall have as one of its objectives the imparting to
16pupils of a comprehensive idea of our democratic form of
17government and the principles for which our government stands
18as regards other nations, including the studying of the place
19of our government in world-wide movements and the leaders
20thereof, with particular stress upon the basic principles and
21ideals of our representative form of government. The teaching
22of history shall include a study of the role and contributions
23of African Americans and other ethnic groups including but not
24restricted to Polish, Lithuanian, German, Hungarian, Irish,
25Bohemian, Russian, Albanian, Italian, Czech, Slovak, French,

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1Scots, Hispanics, Asian Americans, etc., in the history of this
2country and this State. To reinforce the study of the role and
3contributions of Hispanics, such curriculum shall include the
4study of the events related to the forceful removal and illegal
5deportation of Mexican-American U.S. citizens during the Great
6Depression. In public schools only, the teaching of history
7shall include a study of the roles and contributions of
8lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in the history
9of this country and this State. The teaching of history also
10shall include a study of the role of labor unions and their
11interaction with government in achieving the goals of a mixed
12free enterprise system. No pupils shall be graduated from the
13eighth grade of any public school unless he or she has received
14such instruction in the history of the United States and gives
15evidence of having a comprehensive knowledge thereof.
16(Source: P.A. 96-629, eff. 1-1-10.)
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