98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2013 and 2014
HB2966

 

Introduced , by Rep. Jerry F. Costello, II

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
105 ILCS 5/27-23.7

    Amends the School Code. Requires the State Board of Education, in consultation with the Department of Juvenile Justice and the Department of Children and Family Services, to establish a bullying hotline for students, parents, teachers, and other parties to report any violence happening on school property, on a school bus, or over the Internet via cyberbullying. Provides that the hotline shall consist of a statewide, toll-free telephone number, with voicemail capabilities provided after working hours. Provides that the State Board shall also maintain an Internet website for reports to be submitted online. Requires the State Board to adopt rules to implement these provisions.


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FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

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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 Section
527-23.7 as follows:
 
6    (105 ILCS 5/27-23.7)
7    Sec. 27-23.7. Bullying prevention.
8    (a) The General Assembly finds that a safe and civil school
9environment is necessary for students to learn and achieve and
10that bullying causes physical, psychological, and emotional
11harm to students and interferes with students' ability to learn
12and participate in school activities. The General Assembly
13further finds that bullying has been linked to other forms of
14antisocial behavior, such as vandalism, shoplifting, skipping
15and dropping out of school, fighting, using drugs and alcohol,
16sexual harassment, and sexual violence. Because of the negative
17outcomes associated with bullying in schools, the General
18Assembly finds that school districts and non-public,
19non-sectarian elementary and secondary schools should educate
20students, parents, and school district or non-public,
21non-sectarian elementary or secondary school personnel about
22what behaviors constitute prohibited bullying.
23    Bullying on the basis of actual or perceived race, color,

 

 

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1religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status,
2physical or mental disability, military status, sexual
3orientation, gender-related identity or expression,
4unfavorable discharge from military service, association with
5a person or group with one or more of the aforementioned actual
6or perceived characteristics, or any other distinguishing
7characteristic is prohibited in all school districts and
8non-public, non-sectarian elementary and secondary schools. No
9student shall be subjected to bullying:
10        (1) during any school-sponsored education program or
11    activity;
12        (2) while in school, on school property, on school
13    buses or other school vehicles, at designated school bus
14    stops waiting for the school bus, or at school-sponsored or
15    school-sanctioned events or activities; or
16        (3) through the transmission of information from a
17    school computer, a school computer network, or other
18    similar electronic school equipment.
19    (b) In this Section:
20    "Bullying" means any severe or pervasive physical or verbal
21act or conduct, including communications made in writing or
22electronically, directed toward a student or students that has
23or can be reasonably predicted to have the effect of one or
24more of the following:
25        (1) placing the student or students in reasonable fear
26    of harm to the student's or students' person or property;

 

 

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1        (2) causing a substantially detrimental effect on the
2    student's or students' physical or mental health;
3        (3) substantially interfering with the student's or
4    students' academic performance; or
5        (4) substantially interfering with the student's or
6    students' ability to participate in or benefit from the
7    services, activities, or privileges provided by a school.
8    Bullying, as defined in this subsection (b), may take
9various forms, including without limitation one or more of the
10following: harassment, threats, intimidation, stalking,
11physical violence, sexual harassment, sexual violence, theft,
12public humiliation, destruction of property, or retaliation
13for asserting or alleging an act of bullying. This list is
14meant to be illustrative and non-exhaustive.
15    "School personnel" means persons employed by, on contract
16with, or who volunteer in a school district or non-public,
17non-sectarian elementary or secondary school, including
18without limitation school and school district administrators,
19teachers, school guidance counselors, school social workers,
20school counselors, school psychologists, school nurses,
21cafeteria workers, custodians, bus drivers, school resource
22officers, and security guards.
23    (c) (Blank).
24    (c-5) The State Board of Education, in consultation with
25the Department of Juvenile Justice and the Department of
26Children and Family Services, shall establish a bullying

 

 

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1hotline for students, parents, teachers, and other parties to
2report any violence happening on school property, on a school
3bus, or over the Internet via cyberbullying. The hotline shall
4consist of a statewide, toll-free telephone number, with
5voicemail capabilities provided after working hours. The State
6Board shall also maintain an Internet website for reports to be
7submitted online. The State Board shall adopt rules to
8implement this subsection (c-5).
9    (d) Each school district and non-public, non-sectarian
10elementary or secondary school shall create and maintain a
11policy on bullying, which policy must be filed with the State
12Board of Education. Each school district and non-public,
13non-sectarian elementary or secondary school must communicate
14its policy on bullying to its students and their parent or
15guardian on an annual basis. The policy must be updated every 2
16years and filed with the State Board of Education after being
17updated. The State Board of Education shall monitor the
18implementation of policies created under this subsection (d).
19    (e) This Section shall not be interpreted to prevent a
20victim from seeking redress under any other available civil or
21criminal law. Nothing in this Section is intended to infringe
22upon any right to exercise free expression or the free exercise
23of religion or religiously based views protected under the
24First Amendment to the United States Constitution or under
25Section 3 or 4 of Article 1 of the Illinois Constitution.
26(Source: P.A. 95-198, eff. 1-1-08; 95-349, eff. 8-23-07;

 

 

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195-876, eff. 8-21-08; 96-952, eff. 6-28-10.)