Illinois 2023 2023-2024 Regular Session

Illinois House Bill HB4586 Engrossed / Bill

Filed 04/19/2024

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1  AN ACT concerning education.
2  Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3  represented in the General Assembly:
4  Section 5. The School Code is amended by adding Sections
5  10-20.87 and 34-18.87 and by changing Section 27A-5 as
6  follows:
7  (105 ILCS 5/10-20.87 new)
8  Sec. 10-20.87. Mental health services notification.
9  (a) Beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, each school
10  district shall:
11  (1) notify the parents or guardians of each student
12  enrolled in the school district about any mental health
13  services available in the school in which the student is
14  enrolled, in the school district, or in the community
15  where the school is located; and
16  (2) notify each student enrolled in the school
17  district who is 12 years of age or older of the following
18  information in an age and developmentally appropriate
19  manner:
20  (A) mental health services available in the school
21  in which the student is enrolled, in the school
22  district, or in the community where the school is
23  located; and

 

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1  (B) the student's right to request to receive
2  counseling services or psychotherapy on an outpatient
3  basis under Section 3-550 of the Mental Health and
4  Developmental Disabilities Code.
5  (b) A school district shall provide the notifications
6  required under subsection (a) at the time of enrollment for
7  students enrolling in the school district for the first time,
8  prior to November 1 of each school year, and after January 1
9  but prior to March 1 of each school year. A school district
10  shall consider the languages most commonly spoken in the
11  communities where the school district's schools are located
12  when sending notifications to parents or guardians. A school
13  district may refer parents or guardians to the Care Portal
14  established and maintained by the Department of Human Services
15  under Section 11.4 of the Mental Health and Developmental
16  Disabilities Administrative Act.
17  (105 ILCS 5/27A-5)
18  (Text of Section before amendment by P.A. 102-466 and
19  103-472)
20  Sec. 27A-5. Charter school; legal entity; requirements.
21  (a) A charter school shall be a public, nonsectarian,
22  nonreligious, non-home based, and non-profit school. A charter
23  school shall be organized and operated as a nonprofit
24  corporation or other discrete, legal, nonprofit entity
25  authorized under the laws of the State of Illinois.

 

 

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1  (b) A charter school may be established under this Article
2  by creating a new school or by converting an existing public
3  school or attendance center to charter school status. In all
4  new applications to establish a charter school in a city
5  having a population exceeding 500,000, operation of the
6  charter school shall be limited to one campus. This limitation
7  does not apply to charter schools existing or approved on or
8  before April 16, 2003.
9  (b-5) (Blank).
10  (c) A charter school shall be administered and governed by
11  its board of directors or other governing body in the manner
12  provided in its charter. The governing body of a charter
13  school shall be subject to the Freedom of Information Act and
14  the Open Meetings Act. A charter school's board of directors
15  or other governing body must include at least one parent or
16  guardian of a pupil currently enrolled in the charter school
17  who may be selected through the charter school or a charter
18  network election, appointment by the charter school's board of
19  directors or other governing body, or by the charter school's
20  Parent Teacher Organization or its equivalent.
21  (c-5) No later than January 1, 2021 or within the first
22  year of his or her first term, every voting member of a charter
23  school's board of directors or other governing body shall
24  complete a minimum of 4 hours of professional development
25  leadership training to ensure that each member has sufficient
26  familiarity with the board's or governing body's role and

 

 

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1  responsibilities, including financial oversight and
2  accountability of the school, evaluating the principal's and
3  school's performance, adherence to the Freedom of Information
4  Act and the Open Meetings Act, and compliance with education
5  and labor law. In each subsequent year of his or her term, a
6  voting member of a charter school's board of directors or
7  other governing body shall complete a minimum of 2 hours of
8  professional development training in these same areas. The
9  training under this subsection may be provided or certified by
10  a statewide charter school membership association or may be
11  provided or certified by other qualified providers approved by
12  the State Board.
13  (d) For purposes of this subsection (d), "non-curricular
14  health and safety requirement" means any health and safety
15  requirement created by statute or rule to provide, maintain,
16  preserve, or safeguard safe or healthful conditions for
17  students and school personnel or to eliminate, reduce, or
18  prevent threats to the health and safety of students and
19  school personnel. "Non-curricular health and safety
20  requirement" does not include any course of study or
21  specialized instructional requirement for which the State
22  Board has established goals and learning standards or which is
23  designed primarily to impart knowledge and skills for students
24  to master and apply as an outcome of their education.
25  A charter school shall comply with all non-curricular
26  health and safety requirements applicable to public schools

 

 

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1  under the laws of the State of Illinois. The State Board shall
2  promulgate and post on its Internet website a list of
3  non-curricular health and safety requirements that a charter
4  school must meet. The list shall be updated annually no later
5  than September 1. Any charter contract between a charter
6  school and its authorizer must contain a provision that
7  requires the charter school to follow the list of all
8  non-curricular health and safety requirements promulgated by
9  the State Board and any non-curricular health and safety
10  requirements added by the State Board to such list during the
11  term of the charter. Nothing in this subsection (d) precludes
12  an authorizer from including non-curricular health and safety
13  requirements in a charter school contract that are not
14  contained in the list promulgated by the State Board,
15  including non-curricular health and safety requirements of the
16  authorizing local school board.
17  (e) Except as otherwise provided in the School Code, a
18  charter school shall not charge tuition; provided that a
19  charter school may charge reasonable fees for textbooks,
20  instructional materials, and student activities.
21  (f) A charter school shall be responsible for the
22  management and operation of its fiscal affairs, including, but
23  not limited to, the preparation of its budget. An audit of each
24  charter school's finances shall be conducted annually by an
25  outside, independent contractor retained by the charter
26  school. The contractor shall not be an employee of the charter

 

 

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1  school or affiliated with the charter school or its authorizer
2  in any way, other than to audit the charter school's finances.
3  To ensure financial accountability for the use of public
4  funds, on or before December 1 of every year of operation, each
5  charter school shall submit to its authorizer and the State
6  Board a copy of its audit and a copy of the Form 990 the
7  charter school filed that year with the federal Internal
8  Revenue Service. In addition, if deemed necessary for proper
9  financial oversight of the charter school, an authorizer may
10  require quarterly financial statements from each charter
11  school.
12  (g) A charter school shall comply with all provisions of
13  this Article, the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act,
14  all federal and State laws and rules applicable to public
15  schools that pertain to special education and the instruction
16  of English learners, and its charter. A charter school is
17  exempt from all other State laws and regulations in this Code
18  governing public schools and local school board policies;
19  however, a charter school is not exempt from the following:
20  (1) Sections 10-21.9 and 34-18.5 of this Code
21  regarding criminal history records checks and checks of
22  the Statewide Sex Offender Database and Statewide Murderer
23  and Violent Offender Against Youth Database of applicants
24  for employment;
25  (2) Sections 10-20.14, 10-22.6, 24-24, 34-19, and
26  34-84a of this Code regarding discipline of students;

 

 

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1  (3) the Local Governmental and Governmental Employees
2  Tort Immunity Act;
3  (4) Section 108.75 of the General Not For Profit
4  Corporation Act of 1986 regarding indemnification of
5  officers, directors, employees, and agents;
6  (5) the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act;
7  (5.5) subsection (b) of Section 10-23.12 and
8  subsection (b) of Section 34-18.6 of this Code;
9  (6) the Illinois School Student Records Act;
10  (7) Section 10-17a of this Code regarding school
11  report cards;
12  (8) the P-20 Longitudinal Education Data System Act;
13  (9) Section 27-23.7 of this Code regarding bullying
14  prevention;
15  (10) Section 2-3.162 of this Code regarding student
16  discipline reporting;
17  (11) Sections 22-80 and 27-8.1 of this Code;
18  (12) Sections 10-20.60 and 34-18.53 of this Code;
19  (13) Sections 10-20.63 and 34-18.56 of this Code;
20  (14) Sections 22-90 and 26-18 of this Code;
21  (15) Section 22-30 of this Code;
22  (16) Sections 24-12 and 34-85 of this Code;
23  (17) the Seizure Smart School Act;
24  (18) Section 2-3.64a-10 of this Code;
25  (19) Sections 10-20.73 and 34-21.9 of this Code;
26  (20) Section 10-22.25b of this Code;

 

 

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1  (21) Section 27-9.1a of this Code;
2  (22) Section 27-9.1b of this Code;
3  (23) Section 34-18.8 of this Code;
4  (25) Section 2-3.188 of this Code;
5  (26) Section 22-85.5 of this Code;
6  (27) subsections (d-10), (d-15), and (d-20) of Section
7  10-20.56 of this Code;
8  (28) Sections 10-20.83 and 34-18.78 of this Code;
9  (29) Section 10-20.13 of this Code;
10  (30) Section 28-19.2 of this Code;
11  (31) Section 34-21.6 of this Code; and
12  (32) Section 22-85.10 of this Code; and .
13  (37) Sections 10-20.87 and 34-18.87 of this Code.
14  The change made by Public Act 96-104 to this subsection
15  (g) is declaratory of existing law.
16  (h) A charter school may negotiate and contract with a
17  school district, the governing body of a State college or
18  university or public community college, or any other public or
19  for-profit or nonprofit private entity for: (i) the use of a
20  school building and grounds or any other real property or
21  facilities that the charter school desires to use or convert
22  for use as a charter school site, (ii) the operation and
23  maintenance thereof, and (iii) the provision of any service,
24  activity, or undertaking that the charter school is required
25  to perform in order to carry out the terms of its charter.
26  Except as provided in subsection (i) of this Section, a school

 

 

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1  district may charge a charter school reasonable rent for the
2  use of the district's buildings, grounds, and facilities. Any
3  services for which a charter school contracts with a school
4  district shall be provided by the district at cost. Any
5  services for which a charter school contracts with a local
6  school board or with the governing body of a State college or
7  university or public community college shall be provided by
8  the public entity at cost.
9  (i) In no event shall a charter school that is established
10  by converting an existing school or attendance center to
11  charter school status be required to pay rent for space that is
12  deemed available, as negotiated and provided in the charter
13  agreement, in school district facilities. However, all other
14  costs for the operation and maintenance of school district
15  facilities that are used by the charter school shall be
16  subject to negotiation between the charter school and the
17  local school board and shall be set forth in the charter.
18  (j) A charter school may limit student enrollment by age
19  or grade level.
20  (k) If the charter school is authorized by the State
21  Board, then the charter school is its own local education
22  agency.
23  (Source: P.A. 102-51, eff. 7-9-21; 102-157, eff. 7-1-22;
24  102-360, eff. 1-1-22; 102-445, eff. 8-20-21; 102-522, eff.
25  8-20-21; 102-558, eff. 8-20-21; 102-676, eff. 12-3-21;
26  102-697, eff. 4-5-22; 102-702, eff. 7-1-23; 102-805, eff.

 

 

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1  1-1-23; 102-813, eff. 5-13-22; 103-154, eff. 6-30-23; 103-175,
2  eff. 6-30-23.)
3  (Text of Section after amendment by P.A. 103-472 but
4  before amendment by P.A. 102-466)
5  Sec. 27A-5. Charter school; legal entity; requirements.
6  (a) A charter school shall be a public, nonsectarian,
7  nonreligious, non-home based, and non-profit school. A charter
8  school shall be organized and operated as a nonprofit
9  corporation or other discrete, legal, nonprofit entity
10  authorized under the laws of the State of Illinois.
11  (b) A charter school may be established under this Article
12  by creating a new school or by converting an existing public
13  school or attendance center to charter school status. In all
14  new applications to establish a charter school in a city
15  having a population exceeding 500,000, operation of the
16  charter school shall be limited to one campus. This limitation
17  does not apply to charter schools existing or approved on or
18  before April 16, 2003.
19  (b-5) (Blank).
20  (c) A charter school shall be administered and governed by
21  its board of directors or other governing body in the manner
22  provided in its charter. The governing body of a charter
23  school shall be subject to the Freedom of Information Act and
24  the Open Meetings Act. A charter school's board of directors
25  or other governing body must include at least one parent or

 

 

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1  guardian of a pupil currently enrolled in the charter school
2  who may be selected through the charter school or a charter
3  network election, appointment by the charter school's board of
4  directors or other governing body, or by the charter school's
5  Parent Teacher Organization or its equivalent.
6  (c-5) No later than January 1, 2021 or within the first
7  year of his or her first term, every voting member of a charter
8  school's board of directors or other governing body shall
9  complete a minimum of 4 hours of professional development
10  leadership training to ensure that each member has sufficient
11  familiarity with the board's or governing body's role and
12  responsibilities, including financial oversight and
13  accountability of the school, evaluating the principal's and
14  school's performance, adherence to the Freedom of Information
15  Act and the Open Meetings Act, and compliance with education
16  and labor law. In each subsequent year of his or her term, a
17  voting member of a charter school's board of directors or
18  other governing body shall complete a minimum of 2 hours of
19  professional development training in these same areas. The
20  training under this subsection may be provided or certified by
21  a statewide charter school membership association or may be
22  provided or certified by other qualified providers approved by
23  the State Board.
24  (d) For purposes of this subsection (d), "non-curricular
25  health and safety requirement" means any health and safety
26  requirement created by statute or rule to provide, maintain,

 

 

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1  preserve, or safeguard safe or healthful conditions for
2  students and school personnel or to eliminate, reduce, or
3  prevent threats to the health and safety of students and
4  school personnel. "Non-curricular health and safety
5  requirement" does not include any course of study or
6  specialized instructional requirement for which the State
7  Board has established goals and learning standards or which is
8  designed primarily to impart knowledge and skills for students
9  to master and apply as an outcome of their education.
10  A charter school shall comply with all non-curricular
11  health and safety requirements applicable to public schools
12  under the laws of the State of Illinois. The State Board shall
13  promulgate and post on its Internet website a list of
14  non-curricular health and safety requirements that a charter
15  school must meet. The list shall be updated annually no later
16  than September 1. Any charter contract between a charter
17  school and its authorizer must contain a provision that
18  requires the charter school to follow the list of all
19  non-curricular health and safety requirements promulgated by
20  the State Board and any non-curricular health and safety
21  requirements added by the State Board to such list during the
22  term of the charter. Nothing in this subsection (d) precludes
23  an authorizer from including non-curricular health and safety
24  requirements in a charter school contract that are not
25  contained in the list promulgated by the State Board,
26  including non-curricular health and safety requirements of the

 

 

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1  authorizing local school board.
2  (e) Except as otherwise provided in the School Code, a
3  charter school shall not charge tuition; provided that a
4  charter school may charge reasonable fees for textbooks,
5  instructional materials, and student activities.
6  (f) A charter school shall be responsible for the
7  management and operation of its fiscal affairs, including, but
8  not limited to, the preparation of its budget. An audit of each
9  charter school's finances shall be conducted annually by an
10  outside, independent contractor retained by the charter
11  school. The contractor shall not be an employee of the charter
12  school or affiliated with the charter school or its authorizer
13  in any way, other than to audit the charter school's finances.
14  To ensure financial accountability for the use of public
15  funds, on or before December 1 of every year of operation, each
16  charter school shall submit to its authorizer and the State
17  Board a copy of its audit and a copy of the Form 990 the
18  charter school filed that year with the federal Internal
19  Revenue Service. In addition, if deemed necessary for proper
20  financial oversight of the charter school, an authorizer may
21  require quarterly financial statements from each charter
22  school.
23  (g) A charter school shall comply with all provisions of
24  this Article, the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act,
25  all federal and State laws and rules applicable to public
26  schools that pertain to special education and the instruction

 

 

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1  of English learners, and its charter. A charter school is
2  exempt from all other State laws and regulations in this Code
3  governing public schools and local school board policies;
4  however, a charter school is not exempt from the following:
5  (1) Sections 10-21.9 and 34-18.5 of this Code
6  regarding criminal history records checks and checks of
7  the Statewide Sex Offender Database and Statewide Murderer
8  and Violent Offender Against Youth Database of applicants
9  for employment;
10  (2) Sections 10-20.14, 10-22.6, 24-24, 34-19, and
11  34-84a of this Code regarding discipline of students;
12  (3) the Local Governmental and Governmental Employees
13  Tort Immunity Act;
14  (4) Section 108.75 of the General Not For Profit
15  Corporation Act of 1986 regarding indemnification of
16  officers, directors, employees, and agents;
17  (5) the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act;
18  (5.5) subsection (b) of Section 10-23.12 and
19  subsection (b) of Section 34-18.6 of this Code;
20  (6) the Illinois School Student Records Act;
21  (7) Section 10-17a of this Code regarding school
22  report cards;
23  (8) the P-20 Longitudinal Education Data System Act;
24  (9) Section 27-23.7 of this Code regarding bullying
25  prevention;
26  (10) Section 2-3.162 of this Code regarding student

 

 

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1  discipline reporting;
2  (11) Sections 22-80 and 27-8.1 of this Code;
3  (12) Sections 10-20.60 and 34-18.53 of this Code;
4  (13) Sections 10-20.63 and 34-18.56 of this Code;
5  (14) Sections 22-90 and 26-18 of this Code;
6  (15) Section 22-30 of this Code;
7  (16) Sections 24-12 and 34-85 of this Code;
8  (17) the Seizure Smart School Act;
9  (18) Section 2-3.64a-10 of this Code;
10  (19) Sections 10-20.73 and 34-21.9 of this Code;
11  (20) Section 10-22.25b of this Code;
12  (21) Section 27-9.1a of this Code;
13  (22) Section 27-9.1b of this Code;
14  (23) Section 34-18.8 of this Code;
15  (25) Section 2-3.188 of this Code;
16  (26) Section 22-85.5 of this Code;
17  (27) subsections (d-10), (d-15), and (d-20) of Section
18  10-20.56 of this Code;
19  (28) Sections 10-20.83 and 34-18.78 of this Code;
20  (29) Section 10-20.13 of this Code;
21  (30) Section 28-19.2 of this Code;
22  (31) Section 34-21.6 of this Code; and
23  (32) Section 22-85.10 of this Code;
24  (33) Section 2-3.196 of this Code;
25  (34) Section 22-95 of this Code;
26  (35) Section 34-18.62 of this Code; and

 

 

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1  (36) the Illinois Human Rights Act; and .
2  (37) Sections 10-20.87 and 34-18.87 of this Code.
3  The change made by Public Act 96-104 to this subsection
4  (g) is declaratory of existing law.
5  (h) A charter school may negotiate and contract with a
6  school district, the governing body of a State college or
7  university or public community college, or any other public or
8  for-profit or nonprofit private entity for: (i) the use of a
9  school building and grounds or any other real property or
10  facilities that the charter school desires to use or convert
11  for use as a charter school site, (ii) the operation and
12  maintenance thereof, and (iii) the provision of any service,
13  activity, or undertaking that the charter school is required
14  to perform in order to carry out the terms of its charter.
15  Except as provided in subsection (i) of this Section, a school
16  district may charge a charter school reasonable rent for the
17  use of the district's buildings, grounds, and facilities. Any
18  services for which a charter school contracts with a school
19  district shall be provided by the district at cost. Any
20  services for which a charter school contracts with a local
21  school board or with the governing body of a State college or
22  university or public community college shall be provided by
23  the public entity at cost.
24  (i) In no event shall a charter school that is established
25  by converting an existing school or attendance center to
26  charter school status be required to pay rent for space that is

 

 

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1  deemed available, as negotiated and provided in the charter
2  agreement, in school district facilities. However, all other
3  costs for the operation and maintenance of school district
4  facilities that are used by the charter school shall be
5  subject to negotiation between the charter school and the
6  local school board and shall be set forth in the charter.
7  (j) A charter school may limit student enrollment by age
8  or grade level.
9  (k) If the charter school is authorized by the State
10  Board, then the charter school is its own local education
11  agency.
12  (Source: P.A. 102-51, eff. 7-9-21; 102-157, eff. 7-1-22;
13  102-360, eff. 1-1-22; 102-445, eff. 8-20-21; 102-522, eff.
14  8-20-21; 102-558, eff. 8-20-21; 102-676, eff. 12-3-21;
15  102-697, eff. 4-5-22; 102-702, eff. 7-1-23; 102-805, eff.
16  1-1-23; 102-813, eff. 5-13-22; 103-154, eff. 6-30-23; 103-175,
17  eff. 6-30-23; 103-472, eff. 8-1-24; revised 8-31-23.)
18  (Text of Section after amendment by P.A. 102-466)
19  Sec. 27A-5. Charter school; legal entity; requirements.
20  (a) A charter school shall be a public, nonsectarian,
21  nonreligious, non-home based, and non-profit school. A charter
22  school shall be organized and operated as a nonprofit
23  corporation or other discrete, legal, nonprofit entity
24  authorized under the laws of the State of Illinois.
25  (b) A charter school may be established under this Article

 

 

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1  by creating a new school or by converting an existing public
2  school or attendance center to charter school status. In all
3  new applications to establish a charter school in a city
4  having a population exceeding 500,000, operation of the
5  charter school shall be limited to one campus. This limitation
6  does not apply to charter schools existing or approved on or
7  before April 16, 2003.
8  (b-5) (Blank).
9  (c) A charter school shall be administered and governed by
10  its board of directors or other governing body in the manner
11  provided in its charter. The governing body of a charter
12  school shall be subject to the Freedom of Information Act and
13  the Open Meetings Act. A charter school's board of directors
14  or other governing body must include at least one parent or
15  guardian of a pupil currently enrolled in the charter school
16  who may be selected through the charter school or a charter
17  network election, appointment by the charter school's board of
18  directors or other governing body, or by the charter school's
19  Parent Teacher Organization or its equivalent.
20  (c-5) No later than January 1, 2021 or within the first
21  year of his or her first term, every voting member of a charter
22  school's board of directors or other governing body shall
23  complete a minimum of 4 hours of professional development
24  leadership training to ensure that each member has sufficient
25  familiarity with the board's or governing body's role and
26  responsibilities, including financial oversight and

 

 

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1  accountability of the school, evaluating the principal's and
2  school's performance, adherence to the Freedom of Information
3  Act and the Open Meetings Act, and compliance with education
4  and labor law. In each subsequent year of his or her term, a
5  voting member of a charter school's board of directors or
6  other governing body shall complete a minimum of 2 hours of
7  professional development training in these same areas. The
8  training under this subsection may be provided or certified by
9  a statewide charter school membership association or may be
10  provided or certified by other qualified providers approved by
11  the State Board.
12  (d) For purposes of this subsection (d), "non-curricular
13  health and safety requirement" means any health and safety
14  requirement created by statute or rule to provide, maintain,
15  preserve, or safeguard safe or healthful conditions for
16  students and school personnel or to eliminate, reduce, or
17  prevent threats to the health and safety of students and
18  school personnel. "Non-curricular health and safety
19  requirement" does not include any course of study or
20  specialized instructional requirement for which the State
21  Board has established goals and learning standards or which is
22  designed primarily to impart knowledge and skills for students
23  to master and apply as an outcome of their education.
24  A charter school shall comply with all non-curricular
25  health and safety requirements applicable to public schools
26  under the laws of the State of Illinois. The State Board shall

 

 

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1  promulgate and post on its Internet website a list of
2  non-curricular health and safety requirements that a charter
3  school must meet. The list shall be updated annually no later
4  than September 1. Any charter contract between a charter
5  school and its authorizer must contain a provision that
6  requires the charter school to follow the list of all
7  non-curricular health and safety requirements promulgated by
8  the State Board and any non-curricular health and safety
9  requirements added by the State Board to such list during the
10  term of the charter. Nothing in this subsection (d) precludes
11  an authorizer from including non-curricular health and safety
12  requirements in a charter school contract that are not
13  contained in the list promulgated by the State Board,
14  including non-curricular health and safety requirements of the
15  authorizing local school board.
16  (e) Except as otherwise provided in the School Code, a
17  charter school shall not charge tuition; provided that a
18  charter school may charge reasonable fees for textbooks,
19  instructional materials, and student activities.
20  (f) A charter school shall be responsible for the
21  management and operation of its fiscal affairs, including, but
22  not limited to, the preparation of its budget. An audit of each
23  charter school's finances shall be conducted annually by an
24  outside, independent contractor retained by the charter
25  school. The contractor shall not be an employee of the charter
26  school or affiliated with the charter school or its authorizer

 

 

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1  in any way, other than to audit the charter school's finances.
2  To ensure financial accountability for the use of public
3  funds, on or before December 1 of every year of operation, each
4  charter school shall submit to its authorizer and the State
5  Board a copy of its audit and a copy of the Form 990 the
6  charter school filed that year with the federal Internal
7  Revenue Service. In addition, if deemed necessary for proper
8  financial oversight of the charter school, an authorizer may
9  require quarterly financial statements from each charter
10  school.
11  (g) A charter school shall comply with all provisions of
12  this Article, the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act,
13  all federal and State laws and rules applicable to public
14  schools that pertain to special education and the instruction
15  of English learners, and its charter. A charter school is
16  exempt from all other State laws and regulations in this Code
17  governing public schools and local school board policies;
18  however, a charter school is not exempt from the following:
19  (1) Sections 10-21.9 and 34-18.5 of this Code
20  regarding criminal history records checks and checks of
21  the Statewide Sex Offender Database and Statewide Murderer
22  and Violent Offender Against Youth Database of applicants
23  for employment;
24  (2) Sections 10-20.14, 10-22.6, 24-24, 34-19, and
25  34-84a of this Code regarding discipline of students;
26  (3) the Local Governmental and Governmental Employees

 

 

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1  Tort Immunity Act;
2  (4) Section 108.75 of the General Not For Profit
3  Corporation Act of 1986 regarding indemnification of
4  officers, directors, employees, and agents;
5  (5) the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act;
6  (5.5) subsection (b) of Section 10-23.12 and
7  subsection (b) of Section 34-18.6 of this Code;
8  (6) the Illinois School Student Records Act;
9  (7) Section 10-17a of this Code regarding school
10  report cards;
11  (8) the P-20 Longitudinal Education Data System Act;
12  (9) Section 27-23.7 of this Code regarding bullying
13  prevention;
14  (10) Section 2-3.162 of this Code regarding student
15  discipline reporting;
16  (11) Sections 22-80 and 27-8.1 of this Code;
17  (12) Sections 10-20.60 and 34-18.53 of this Code;
18  (13) Sections 10-20.63 and 34-18.56 of this Code;
19  (14) Sections 22-90 and 26-18 of this Code;
20  (15) Section 22-30 of this Code;
21  (16) Sections 24-12 and 34-85 of this Code;
22  (17) the Seizure Smart School Act;
23  (18) Section 2-3.64a-10 of this Code;
24  (19) Sections 10-20.73 and 34-21.9 of this Code;
25  (20) Section 10-22.25b of this Code;
26  (21) Section 27-9.1a of this Code;

 

 

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1  (22) Section 27-9.1b of this Code;
2  (23) Section 34-18.8 of this Code;
3  (24) Article 26A of this Code;
4  (25) Section 2-3.188 of this Code;
5  (26) Section 22-85.5 of this Code;
6  (27) subsections (d-10), (d-15), and (d-20) of Section
7  10-20.56 of this Code;
8  (28) Sections 10-20.83 and 34-18.78 of this Code;
9  (29) Section 10-20.13 of this Code;
10  (30) Section 28-19.2 of this Code;
11  (31) Section 34-21.6 of this Code; and
12  (32) Section 22-85.10 of this Code;
13  (33) Section 2-3.196 of this Code;
14  (34) Section 22-95 of this Code;
15  (35) Section 34-18.62 of this Code; and
16  (36) the Illinois Human Rights Act; and .
17  (37) Sections 10-20.87 and 34-18.87 of this Code.
18  The change made by Public Act 96-104 to this subsection
19  (g) is declaratory of existing law.
20  (h) A charter school may negotiate and contract with a
21  school district, the governing body of a State college or
22  university or public community college, or any other public or
23  for-profit or nonprofit private entity for: (i) the use of a
24  school building and grounds or any other real property or
25  facilities that the charter school desires to use or convert
26  for use as a charter school site, (ii) the operation and

 

 

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1  maintenance thereof, and (iii) the provision of any service,
2  activity, or undertaking that the charter school is required
3  to perform in order to carry out the terms of its charter.
4  Except as provided in subsection (i) of this Section, a school
5  district may charge a charter school reasonable rent for the
6  use of the district's buildings, grounds, and facilities. Any
7  services for which a charter school contracts with a school
8  district shall be provided by the district at cost. Any
9  services for which a charter school contracts with a local
10  school board or with the governing body of a State college or
11  university or public community college shall be provided by
12  the public entity at cost.
13  (i) In no event shall a charter school that is established
14  by converting an existing school or attendance center to
15  charter school status be required to pay rent for space that is
16  deemed available, as negotiated and provided in the charter
17  agreement, in school district facilities. However, all other
18  costs for the operation and maintenance of school district
19  facilities that are used by the charter school shall be
20  subject to negotiation between the charter school and the
21  local school board and shall be set forth in the charter.
22  (j) A charter school may limit student enrollment by age
23  or grade level.
24  (k) If the charter school is authorized by the State
25  Board, then the charter school is its own local education
26  agency.

 

 

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1  (Source: P.A. 102-51, eff. 7-9-21; 102-157, eff. 7-1-22;
2  102-360, eff. 1-1-22; 102-445, eff. 8-20-21; 102-466, eff.
3  7-1-25; 102-522, eff. 8-20-21; 102-558, eff. 8-20-21; 102-676,
4  eff. 12-3-21; 102-697, eff. 4-5-22; 102-702, eff. 7-1-23;
5  102-805, eff. 1-1-23; 102-813, eff. 5-13-22; 103-154, eff.
6  6-30-23; 103-175, eff. 6-30-23; 103-472, eff. 8-1-24; revised
7  8-31-23.)
8  (105 ILCS 5/34-18.87 new)
9  Sec. 34-18.87. Mental health services notification.
10  (a) Beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, the school
11  district shall:
12  (1) notify the parents or guardians of each student
13  enrolled in the school district about any mental health
14  services available in the school in which the student is
15  enrolled, in the school district, or in the community
16  where the school is located; and
17  (2) notify each student enrolled in the school
18  district who is 12 years of age or older of the following
19  information in an age and developmentally appropriate
20  manner:
21  (A) mental health services available in the school
22  in which the student is enrolled, in the school
23  district, or in the community where the school is
24  located; and
25  (B) the student's right to request to receive

 

 

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1  counseling services or psychotherapy on an outpatient
2  basis under Section 3-550 of the Mental Health and
3  Developmental Disabilities Code.
4  (b) The school district shall provide the notifications
5  required under subsection (a) at the time of enrollment for
6  students enrolling in the school district for the first time,
7  prior to November 1 of each school year, and after January 1
8  but prior to March 1 of each school year. The school district
9  shall consider the languages most commonly spoken in the
10  communities where the school district's schools are located
11  when sending notifications to parents or guardians. The school
12  district may refer parents or guardians to the Care Portal
13  established and maintained by the Department of Human Services
14  under Section 11.4 of the Mental Health and Developmental
15  Disabilities Administrative Act.

 

 

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