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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Section 27-12 of the School Code states that
3"every public school teacher shall teach character education,
4which includes the teaching of respect, responsibility,
5fairness, caring, trustworthiness, and citizenship, in order
6to raise pupils' honesty, kindness, justice, discipline,
7respect for others, and moral courage for the purpose of
8lessening crime and raising the standard of good character";
9and
 
10    WHEREAS, School is not the only opportunity for lessons of
11character development to occur; it is often difficult for
12school districts and community organizations to identify and
13find resources and programs that meet the statutory educational
14requirements, and educational opportunities often arise only
15in a haphazard way throughout the period of a season or school
16year; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Examples of a need for programs that can meet the
18needs of a changing society are present from institutions of
19higher education, newspapers, and the media that decry the lack
20of character development and moral and ethical education and
21the seeming lack of moral judgment in making business,
22political, and even personal decisions; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, The Good Citizens Foundation is a new, non-profit
2organization in this State, founded by James McCoy, D.C., of
3Sycamore, Illinois, which is dedicated to the mission of
4identifying secular, non-religious programs of learning that
5teach moral judgment, character development, and ethical
6decision-making to future generations; and
 
7    WHEREAS, The Good Citizens Foundation has discovered,
8researched, and identified many good character building
9programs, such as Character Counts!, based on the 6 pillars of
10character; the Torch Clubs and Keystone Clubs of the Boys and
11Girls Clubs of America, based on involving pre-teens and teens
12in their communities; and the Good Choices Program, based on
13the Way to Happiness; and
 
14    WHEREAS, These programs have been selected by the Good
15Citizens Foundation for recommendation as programs that can
16have great positive impact on the character development of the
17children of this State; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Of these programs, those that have been most
19successfully implemented in a public school, as well as in
20after-school settings, are Character Counts! and the Good
21Choices Program, each with programs to fit students from ages 6
22to 18-years old and with cost-effective training and resources
23for teachers; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, The Good Choices Program not only satisfies
2Section 27-12 of the School Code, but also comes with the
3endorsement, support, and assistance of the Happy House:
4Building Better Families organization, co-founded by actress
5Nancy Cartwright; and
 
6    WHEREAS, The Good Citizens Foundation will maintain a
7virtual headquarters for the people of this State on the
8Internet, where it will provide links to all of the programs
9listed in this resolution, as well as research and identify
10others; therefore, be it
 
11    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
12NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
13we recognize that the programs listed in this resolution are
14all qualified to teach character development, and that we
15acknowledge that the Good Choices Program, by virtue of the
16fact that it teaches common sense guidelines covering specific
17tools to help children evaluate situations and make good
18decisions that will improve life for themselves and others, is
19one example of a program fully in compliance with Section 27-12
20of the School Code, as it seeks to enhance the character
21development and potential future moral judgment of the children
22of this State and, therefore, encourages its use and the use of
23similar programs by educators, coaches, mentors, and other

 

 

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1community service leaders; and be it further
 
2    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
3presented to the Good Citizens Foundation.