IL
Illinois Senate Bill SB1616

Illinois 2025-2026 Regular Session

Illinois Senate Bill SB1616 Compare Versions

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1+104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 SB1616 Introduced 2/4/2025, by Sen. Ram Villivalam SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: 105 ILCS 5/2-3.206 new Amends the School Code. Requires the State Board of Education to identify days during the year when there may be a portion of the student body absent or unable to participate in a major school event due to cultural, religious, or other observances and, by February 1 of each year, to prominently post on its website and distribute to school districts a nonexhaustive list of the corresponding days and dates of potential cultural, religious, or other observances in the upcoming school year. Allows a school district to include additional days and dates based on community feedback or demographics. Requires the State Board to distribute the list by February 1 each year to regional offices of education, the Department of Early Childhood, the Board of Higher Education, the Illinois High School Association, and other relevant associations or entities as determined by the State Board. Effective immediately. LRB104 12054 LNS 22149 b A BILL FOR 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 SB1616 Introduced 2/4/2025, by Sen. Ram Villivalam SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: 105 ILCS 5/2-3.206 new 105 ILCS 5/2-3.206 new Amends the School Code. Requires the State Board of Education to identify days during the year when there may be a portion of the student body absent or unable to participate in a major school event due to cultural, religious, or other observances and, by February 1 of each year, to prominently post on its website and distribute to school districts a nonexhaustive list of the corresponding days and dates of potential cultural, religious, or other observances in the upcoming school year. Allows a school district to include additional days and dates based on community feedback or demographics. Requires the State Board to distribute the list by February 1 each year to regional offices of education, the Department of Early Childhood, the Board of Higher Education, the Illinois High School Association, and other relevant associations or entities as determined by the State Board. Effective immediately. LRB104 12054 LNS 22149 b LRB104 12054 LNS 22149 b A BILL FOR
2+104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 SB1616 Introduced 2/4/2025, by Sen. Ram Villivalam SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
3+105 ILCS 5/2-3.206 new 105 ILCS 5/2-3.206 new
4+105 ILCS 5/2-3.206 new
5+Amends the School Code. Requires the State Board of Education to identify days during the year when there may be a portion of the student body absent or unable to participate in a major school event due to cultural, religious, or other observances and, by February 1 of each year, to prominently post on its website and distribute to school districts a nonexhaustive list of the corresponding days and dates of potential cultural, religious, or other observances in the upcoming school year. Allows a school district to include additional days and dates based on community feedback or demographics. Requires the State Board to distribute the list by February 1 each year to regional offices of education, the Department of Early Childhood, the Board of Higher Education, the Illinois High School Association, and other relevant associations or entities as determined by the State Board. Effective immediately.
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311 1 AN ACT concerning education.
412 2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
513 3 represented in the General Assembly:
614 4 Section 5. The School Code is amended by adding Section
715 5 2-3.206 as follows:
816 6 (105 ILCS 5/2-3.206 new)
9-7 Sec. 2-3.206. Scheduling guidance for major school events.
10-8 (a) As used in this Section, "major school event" means a
11-9 school sanctioned or sponsored event that is part of a school
12-10 or school district's locally created school calendar for the
13-11 year, including, but not limited to, events or activities that
14-12 would be difficult for a student to make up.
15-13 (b) The State Board of Education, in consultation with
16-14 stakeholders, shall identify dates during the year of cultural
17-15 or religious significance to the student population and in
18-16 which students may have out-of-school commitments or otherwise
19-17 be unable to participate in a major school event.
20-18 By July 1 of each year, the State Board of Education shall
21-19 prominently post on its website and distribute to each school
22-20 district a nonexhaustive list of the identified days and dates
23-21 of cultural, religious, or other observances for, at a
24-22 minimum, the school year that begins in the next calendar year
25-23 as a resource for making scheduling decisions for major school
17+7 Sec. 2-3.206. Major school-event-scheduling guidance. As
18+8 used in this Section, "major school event" includes, but is
19+9 not limited to, tests, special projects, special events,
20+10 special activities, schoolwide events, or extracurricular
21+11 activities that would be difficult to make up.
22+12 The State Board of Education, through consultation with
23+13 stakeholders, shall identify days during the year when there
24+14 may be a portion of the student body absent or unable to
25+15 participate in a major school event due to cultural,
26+16 religious, or other observances.
27+17 By February 1 of each year, the State Board of Education
28+18 shall prominently post on its website and distribute to each
29+19 school district a nonexhaustive list of the corresponding days
30+20 and dates of potential cultural, religious, or other
31+21 observances for at a minimum the upcoming school year, as a
32+22 resource for making major school-event-scheduling decisions,
33+23 encouraging school districts not to schedule a major school
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34-1 events. The list shall include a statement encouraging schools
35-2 to be mindful of the days and dates of cultural, religious, or
36-3 other observances that impact student participation as schools
37-4 plan major school events.
38-5 (c) The list of cultural, religious, or other observances
39-6 under subsection (b) shall additionally include a statement
40-7 indicating that the list is only for scheduling guidance
41-8 purposes and does not affect a student's right to be excused
42-9 from attendance because of the observance of a religious
43-10 holiday pursuant to Section 26-2b of this Code, regardless of
44-11 whether the religious holiday appears on the list.
45-12 Upon the posting and distribution of the list, the State
46-13 Board of Education shall also inform school districts that the
47-14 list is nonexhaustive and that a school district may include
48-15 additional days and dates on its locally created school
49-16 calendars based on community feedback or demographics.
50-17 The State Board of Education shall additionally distribute
51-18 the list each year to relevant associations or entities as
52-19 determined by the State Board of Education.
53-20 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
54-21 becoming law.
37+104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 SB1616 Introduced 2/4/2025, by Sen. Ram Villivalam SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
38+105 ILCS 5/2-3.206 new 105 ILCS 5/2-3.206 new
39+105 ILCS 5/2-3.206 new
40+Amends the School Code. Requires the State Board of Education to identify days during the year when there may be a portion of the student body absent or unable to participate in a major school event due to cultural, religious, or other observances and, by February 1 of each year, to prominently post on its website and distribute to school districts a nonexhaustive list of the corresponding days and dates of potential cultural, religious, or other observances in the upcoming school year. Allows a school district to include additional days and dates based on community feedback or demographics. Requires the State Board to distribute the list by February 1 each year to regional offices of education, the Department of Early Childhood, the Board of Higher Education, the Illinois High School Association, and other relevant associations or entities as determined by the State Board. Effective immediately.
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68+1 event on those days.
69+2 The list shall include a statement indicating that the
70+3 list is only for scheduling purposes and does not affect a
71+4 student's right to be excused from attendance because of the
72+5 observance of a religious holiday pursuant to Section 26-2b of
73+6 this Code, regardless of whether the religious holiday appears
74+7 on the list.
75+8 Upon the distribution of the list, the State Board of
76+9 Education shall also inform school districts that a school
77+10 district may include additional days and dates based on
78+11 community feedback or demographics.
79+12 The State Board of Education shall additionally distribute
80+13 the list by February 1 each year to regional offices of
81+14 education, the Department of Early Childhood, the Board of
82+15 Higher Education, the Illinois High School Association, and
83+16 other relevant associations or entities as determined by the
84+17 State Board of Education.
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