HB5771enr 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HB5771 Enrolled LRB100 19596 AXK 34867 b

AN ACT concerning education.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The School Code is amended by adding Section 26-19 as follows:

(105 ILCS 5/26-19 new)

Sec. 26-19. Chronic absenteeism in preschool children.

(a) In this Section, "Chronic absence" has the meaning ascribed to that term in Section 26-18 of this Code.

(b) The General Assembly makes all of the following findings:

(1) The early years are an extremely important period in a child's learning and development.

(2) Missed learning opportunities in the early years make it difficult for a child to enter kindergarten ready for success.

(3) Attendance patterns in the early years serve as predictors of chronic absenteeism and reduced educational outcomes in later school years. Therefore, it is crucial that the implications of chronic absence be understood and reviewed regularly in all publicly funded early childhood programs receiving State funds under Section 2-3.71 of this Code.

(c) Beginning July 1, 2019, any publicly funded early childhood program receiving State funds under Section 2-3.71 of this Code shall collect and review its chronic absence data and determine what support and resources are needed to positively engage chronically absent students and their families to encourage the habit of daily attendance and promote success.

(d) Publicly funded early childhood programs receiving State funds under Section 2-3.71 of this Code are encouraged to do all of the following:

(1) Provide support to students who are at risk of reaching or exceeding chronic absence levels.

(2) Make resources available to families, such as those available through the State Board of Education's Family Engagement Framework, to support and encourage families to ensure their children's daily program attendance.

(3) Include information about chronic absenteeism as part of their preschool to kindergarten transition resources.

(e) On or before July 1, 2020, and annually thereafter, an early childhood program shall report all data collected under subsection (c) of this Section to the State Board of Education, which shall make the report publicly available via the Illinois Early Childhood Asset Map Internet website and the Preschool for All Program or Preschool for All Expansion Program triennial report.

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1, 2019.