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| 1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, The Illinois School Code provides that each school | ||||||
| 3 | board is required to annually prepare a
calendar for each | ||||||
| 4 | school term that specifies both the opening and closing dates | ||||||
| 5 | of the term; and
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| 6 | WHEREAS, A school district's calendar must provide for a | ||||||
| 7 | minimum of at least 185 days that generally
includes five | ||||||
| 8 | emergency days and four teacher institute days in order to | ||||||
| 9 | ensure 176 days of actual pupil
attendance; and
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| 10 | WHEREAS, While the School Code does not govern when a | ||||||
| 11 | school term should begin or end, schools are
increasingly | ||||||
| 12 | starting their school year in mid-August; and
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| 13 | WHEREAS, Traditionally, especially prior to the mid-1990s, | ||||||
| 14 | schools would begin their school term after
Labor Day, | ||||||
| 15 | according to a 2015 CNN article, "Back to school: Why August is | ||||||
| 16 | the new September"; and | ||||||
| 17 | WHEREAS, Some states, including Michigan and Maryland, | ||||||
| 18 | have implemented prohibitions on school terms
beginning before | ||||||
| 19 | Labor Day in an effort to boost their tourism industries; and
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| 20 | WHEREAS, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan recently signed an | ||||||
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| 1 | executive order prohibiting schools from
commencing their | ||||||
| 2 | school term prior to Labor Day unless the school district has | ||||||
| 3 | received a waiver; and
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| 4 | WHEREAS, Research shows that the date upon which a school | ||||||
| 5 | term begins does not necessarily impact a
student's academic | ||||||
| 6 | success; therefore, be it
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| 7 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
| 8 | HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | ||||||
| 9 | urge the Illinois State Board of Education to study the impact | ||||||
| 10 | of beginning a school term during various points throughout | ||||||
| 11 | August as compared to after Labor Day; and be it further | ||||||
| 12 | RESOLVED, That the State Board of Education submit a report | ||||||
| 13 | to the General Assembly by December 31,
2018 including the | ||||||
| 14 | following information and recommendations: | ||||||
| 15 | (1) A summary of current school term start dates in | ||||||
| 16 | school districts throughout Illinois; | ||||||
| 17 | (2) Laws in other states that govern when a school term | ||||||
| 18 | may commence; and | ||||||
| 19 | (3) The effects that beginning a school term at various | ||||||
| 20 | points in August, as compared to after Labor Day, would | ||||||
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| 1 | have on school district
budgets, administrators, teachers, | ||||||
| 2 | and students; and be it further
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| 3 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
| 4 | delivered to State Superintendent of Education Dr.
Tony Smith.
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