105 ILCS 5/ School Code.

(105 ILCS 5/24A-4) (from Ch. 122, par. 24A-4)

Sec. 24A-4. Development of evaluation plan.

(a) As used in this and the succeeding Sections, "teacher" means any and all school district employees regularly required to be certified under laws relating to the certification of teachers. Each school district shall develop, in cooperation with its teachers or, where applicable, the exclusive bargaining representatives of its teachers, an evaluation plan for all teachers.

(b) By no later than the applicable implementation date, each school district shall, in good faith cooperation with its teachers or, where applicable, the exclusive bargaining representatives of its teachers, incorporate the use of data and indicators on student growth as a significant factor in rating teaching performance, into its evaluation plan for all teachers, both those teachers in contractual continued service and those teachers not in contractual continued service. The plan shall at least meet the standards and requirements for student growth and teacher evaluation established under Section 24A-7, and specifically describe how student growth data and indicators will be used as part of the evaluation process, how this information will relate to evaluation standards, the assessments or other indicators of student performance that will be used in measuring student growth and the weight that each will have, the methodology that will be used to measure student growth, and the criteria other than student growth that will be used in evaluating the teacher and the weight that each will have.

To incorporate the use of data and indicators of student growth as a significant factor in rating teacher performance into the evaluation plan, the district shall use a joint committee composed of equal representation selected by the district and its teachers or, where applicable, the exclusive bargaining representative of its teachers. If, within 180 calendar days of the committee's first meeting, the committee does not reach agreement on the plan, then the district shall implement the model evaluation plan established under Section 24A-7 with respect to the use of data and indicators on student growth as a significant factor in rating teacher performance.

Nothing in this subsection (b) shall make decisions on the use of data and indicators on student growth as a significant factor in rating teaching performance mandatory subjects of bargaining under the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act that are not currently mandatory subjects of bargaining under the Act.

The provisions of the Open Meetings Act shall not apply to meetings of a joint committee formed under this subsection (b).

(c) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in subsection (b) of this Section, if the joint committee referred to in that subsection does not reach agreement on the plan within 90 calendar days after the committee's first meeting, a school district having 500,000 or more inhabitants shall not be required to implement any aspect of the model evaluation plan and may implement its last best proposal.

(d) Beginning the first school year following the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 100th General Assembly, the joint committee referred to in subsection (b) of this Section shall meet no less than one time annually to assess and review the effectiveness of the district's evaluation plan for the purposes of continuous improvement of instruction and evaluation practices.

(Source: P.A. 100-768, eff. 1-1-19.)

(105 ILCS 5/24A-5) (from Ch. 122, par. 24A-5)

Sec. 24A-5. Content of evaluation plans. This Section does not apply to teachers assigned to schools identified in an agreement entered into between the board of a school district operating under Article 34 of this Code and the exclusive representative of the district's teachers in accordance with Section 34-85c of this Code.

Each school district to which this Article applies shall establish a teacher evaluation plan which ensures that each teacher in contractual continued service is evaluated at least once in the course of every 2 or 3 school years as provided in this Section.

Each school district shall establish a teacher evaluation plan that ensures that:

(1) each teacher not in contractual continued service is evaluated at least once every school year; and

(2) except as otherwise provided in this Section, each teacher in contractual continued service is evaluated at least once in the course of every 2 school years. However, any teacher in contractual continued service whose performance is rated as either "needs improvement" or "unsatisfactory" must be evaluated at least once in the school year following the receipt of such rating.

No later than September 1, 2022, each school district must establish a teacher evaluation plan that ensures that each teacher in contractual continued service whose performance is rated as either "excellent" or "proficient" is evaluated at least once in the course of the 3 school years after receipt of the rating and implement an informal teacher observation plan established by agency rule and by agreement of the joint committee established under subsection (b) of Section 24A-4 of this Code that ensures that each teacher in contractual continued service whose performance is rated as either "excellent" or "proficient" is informally observed at least once in the course of the 2 school years after receipt of the rating.

For the 2022-2023 school year only, if the Governor has declared a disaster due to a public health emergency pursuant to Section 7 of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act, a school district may waive the evaluation requirement of all teachers in contractual continued service whose performances were rated as either "excellent" or "proficient" during the last school year in which the teachers were evaluated under this Section.

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Section or any other Section of this Code, a principal shall not be prohibited from evaluating any teachers within a school during his or her first year as principal of such school. If a first-year principal exercises this option in a school district where the evaluation plan provides for a teacher in contractual continued service to be evaluated once in the course of every 2 or 3 school years, as applicable, then a new 2-year or 3-year evaluation plan must be established.

The evaluation plan shall comply with the requirements of this Section and of any rules adopted by the State Board of Education pursuant to this Section.

The plan shall include a description of each teacher's duties and responsibilities and of the standards to which that teacher is expected to conform, and shall include at least the following components:

(a) personal observation of the teacher in the classroom by the evaluator, unless the teacher has no classroom duties.

(b) consideration of the teacher's attendance, planning, instructional methods, classroom management, where relevant, and competency in the subject matter taught.

(c) by no later than the applicable implementation date, consideration of student growth as a significant factor in the rating of the teacher's performance.

(d) prior to September 1, 2012, rating of the performance of teachers in contractual continued service as either:

(i) "excellent", "satisfactory" or "unsatisfactory"; or

(ii) "excellent", "proficient", "needs improvement" or "unsatisfactory".

(e) on and after September 1, 2012, rating of the performance of all teachers as "excellent", "proficient", "needs improvement" or "unsatisfactory".

(f) specification as to the teacher's strengths and weaknesses, with supporting reasons for the comments made.

(g) inclusion of a copy of the evaluation in the teacher's personnel file and provision of a copy to the teacher.

(h) within 30 school days after the completion of an evaluation rating a teacher in contractual continued service as "needs improvement", development by the evaluator, in consultation with the teacher, and taking into account the teacher's on-going professional responsibilities including his or her regular teaching assignments, of a professional development plan directed to the areas that need improvement and any supports that the district will provide to address the areas identified as needing improvement.

(i) within 30 school days after completion of an evaluation rating a teacher in contractual continued service as "unsatisfactory", development and commencement by the district of a remediation plan designed to correct deficiencies cited, provided the deficiencies are deemed remediable. In all school districts the remediation plan for unsatisfactory, tenured teachers shall provide for 90 school days of remediation within the classroom, unless an applicable collective bargaining agreement provides for a shorter duration. In all school districts evaluations issued pursuant to this Section shall be issued within 10 days after the conclusion of the respective remediation plan. However, the school board or other governing authority of the district shall not lose jurisdiction to discharge a teacher in the event the evaluation is not issued within 10 days after the conclusion of the respective remediation plan.

(j) participation in the remediation plan by the teacher in contractual continued service rated "unsatisfactory", an evaluator and a consulting teacher selected by the evaluator of the teacher who was rated "unsatisfactory", which consulting teacher is an educational employee as defined in the Educational Labor Relations Act, has at least 5 years' teaching experience, and a reasonable familiarity with the assignment of the teacher being evaluated, and who received an "excellent" rating on his or her most recent evaluation. Where no teachers who meet these criteria are available within the district, the district shall request and the applicable regional office of education shall supply, to participate in the remediation process, an individual who meets these criteria.

In a district having a population of less than 500,000 with an exclusive bargaining agent, the bargaining agent may, if it so chooses, supply a roster of qualified teachers from whom the consulting teacher is to be selected. That roster shall, however, contain the names of at least 5 teachers, each of whom meets the criteria for consulting teacher with regard to the teacher being evaluated, or the names of all teachers so qualified if that number is less than 5. In the event of a dispute as to qualification, the State Board shall determine qualification.

(k) a mid-point and final evaluation by an evaluator during and at the end of the remediation period, immediately following receipt of a remediation plan provided for under subsections (i) and (j) of this Section. Each evaluation shall assess the teacher's performance during the time period since the prior evaluation; provided that the last evaluation shall also include an overall evaluation of the teacher's performance during the remediation period. A written copy of the evaluations and ratings, in which any deficiencies in performance and recommendations for correction are identified, shall be provided to and discussed with the teacher within 10 school days after the date of the evaluation, unless an applicable collective bargaining agreement provides to the contrary. These subsequent evaluations shall be conducted by an evaluator. The consulting teacher shall provide advice to the teacher rated "unsatisfactory" on how to improve teaching skills and to successfully complete the remediation plan. The consulting teacher shall participate in developing the remediation plan, but the final decision as to the evaluation shall be done solely by the evaluator, unless an applicable collective bargaining agreement provides to the contrary. Evaluations at the conclusion of the remediation process shall be separate and distinct from the required annual evaluations of teachers and shall not be subject to the guidelines and procedures relating to those annual evaluations. The evaluator may but is not required to use the forms provided for the annual evaluation of teachers in the district's evaluation plan.

(l) reinstatement to the evaluation schedule set forth in the district's evaluation plan for any teacher in contractual continued service who achieves a rating equal to or better than "satisfactory" or "proficient" in the school year following a rating of "needs improvement" or "unsatisfactory".

(m) dismissal in accordance with subsection (d) of Section 24-12 or Section 24-16.5 or 34-85 of this Code of any teacher who fails to complete any applicable remediation plan with a rating equal to or better than a "satisfactory" or "proficient" rating. Districts and teachers subject to dismissal hearings are precluded from compelling the testimony of consulting teachers at such hearings under subsection (d) of Section 24-12 or Section 24-16.5 or 34-85 of this Code, either as to the rating process or for opinions of performances by teachers under remediation.

(n) After the implementation date of an evaluation system for teachers in a district as specified in Section 24A-2.5 of this Code, if a teacher in contractual continued service successfully completes a remediation plan following a rating of "unsatisfactory" in an overall performance evaluation received after the foregoing implementation date and receives a subsequent rating of "unsatisfactory" in any of the teacher's overall performance evaluation ratings received during the 36-month period following the teacher's completion of the remediation plan, then the school district may forego remediation and seek dismissal in accordance with subsection (d) of Section 24-12 or Section 34-85 of this Code.

(o) Teachers who are due to be evaluated in the last year before they are set to retire shall be offered the opportunity to waive their evaluation and to retain their most recent rating, unless the teacher was last rated as "needs improvement" or "unsatisfactory". The school district may still reserve the right to evaluate a teacher provided the district gives notice to the teacher at least 14 days before the evaluation and a reason for evaluating the teacher.

Nothing in this Section or Section 24A-4 shall be construed as preventing immediate dismissal of a teacher for deficiencies which are deemed irremediable or for actions which are injurious to or endanger the health or person of students in the classroom or school, or preventing the dismissal or non-renewal of teachers not in contractual continued service for any reason not prohibited by applicable employment, labor, and civil rights laws. Failure to strictly comply with the time requirements contained in Section 24A-5 shall not invalidate the results of the remediation plan.

Nothing contained in this amendatory Act of the 98th General Assembly repeals, supersedes, invalidates, or nullifies final decisions in lawsuits pending on the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 98th General Assembly in Illinois courts involving the interpretation of Public Act 97-8.

If the Governor has declared a disaster due to a public health emergency pursuant to Section 7 of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act that suspends in-person instruction, the timelines in this Section connected to the commencement and completion of any remediation plan are waived. Except if the parties mutually agree otherwise and the agreement is in writing, any remediation plan that had been in place for more than 45 days prior to the suspension of in-person instruction shall resume when in-person instruction resumes and any remediation plan that had been in place for fewer than 45 days prior to the suspension of in-person instruction shall be discontinued and a new remediation period shall begin when in-person instruction resumes. The requirements of this paragraph apply regardless of whether they are included in a school district's teacher evaluation plan.

(Source: P.A. 102-252, eff. 1-1-22; 102-729, eff. 5-6-22; 103-85, eff. 6-9-23.)

(105 ILCS 5/24A-5.5)

Sec. 24A-5.5. Local appeal process for unsatisfactory ratings. Beginning with the first school year following the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 101st General Assembly, each school district shall, in good faith cooperation with its teachers or, if applicable, through good faith bargaining with the exclusive bargaining representative of its teachers, develop and implement an appeals process for "unsatisfactory" ratings under Section 24A-5 that includes, but is not limited to, an assessment of the original rating by a panel of qualified evaluators agreed to by the joint committee referred to in subsection (b) of Section 24A-4 that has the power to revoke the "unsatisfactory" rating it deems to be erroneous. The joint committee shall determine the criteria for successful appeals; however, the issuance of a rating to replace an "unsatisfactory" rating must be determined through bargaining between the exclusive bargaining representative, if any, and the school district.

(Source: P.A. 101-591, eff. 8-27-19.)

(105 ILCS 5/24A-6)

Sec. 24A-6. (Repealed).

(Source: P.A. 86-201. Repealed by P.A. 96-861, eff. 1-15-10.)

(105 ILCS 5/24A-7) (from Ch. 122, par. 24A-7)

Sec. 24A-7. Rules. The State Board of Education is authorized to adopt such rules as are deemed necessary to implement and accomplish the purposes and provisions of this Article, including, but not limited to, rules:

(1) relating to the methods for measuring student growth (including, but not limited to, limitations on the age of usable data; the amount of data needed to reliably and validly measure growth for the purpose of teacher and principal evaluations; and whether and at what time annual State assessments may be used as one of multiple measures of student growth);

(2) defining the term "significant factor" for purposes of including consideration of student growth in performance ratings;

(3) controlling for such factors as student characteristics (including, but not limited to, students receiving special education and English Learner services), student attendance, and student mobility so as to best measure the impact that a teacher, principal, school and school district has on students' academic achievement;

(4) establishing minimum requirements for district teacher and principal evaluation instruments and procedures; and

(5) establishing a model evaluation plan for use by school districts in which student growth shall comprise 50% of the performance rating.

Notwithstanding any other provision in this Section, such rules shall not preclude a school district having 500,000 or more inhabitants from using an annual State assessment as the sole measure of student growth for purposes of teacher or principal evaluations.

The State Superintendent of Education shall convene a Performance Evaluation Advisory Council, which shall be staffed by the State Board of Education. Members of the Council shall be selected by the State Superintendent and include, without limitation, representatives of teacher unions and school district management, persons with expertise in performance evaluation processes and systems, as well as other stakeholders. The Council shall meet at least quarterly and may also meet at the call of the chairperson of the Council, following August 18, 2017 (the effective date of Public Act 100-211) until June 30, 2024. The Council shall advise the State Board of Education on the ongoing implementation of performance evaluations in this State, which may include gathering public feedback, sharing best practices, consulting with the State Board on any proposed rule changes regarding evaluations, and other subjects as determined by the chairperson of the Council.

Prior to the applicable implementation date, these rules shall not apply to teachers assigned to schools identified in an agreement entered into between the board of a school district operating under Article 34 of this Code and the exclusive representative of the district's teachers in accordance with Section 34-85c of this Code.

(Source: P.A. 102-252, eff. 1-1-22; 102-558, eff. 8-20-21.)

(105 ILCS 5/24A-7.1)

Sec. 24A-7.1. Teacher, principal, and superintendent performance evaluations. Except as otherwise provided under this Act, disclosure of public school teacher, principal, and superintendent performance evaluations is prohibited.

(Source: P.A. 96-861, eff. 1-15-10.)

(105 ILCS 5/24A-8) (from Ch. 122, par. 24A-8)

Sec. 24A-8. Evaluation of teachers not in contractual continued service. Each teacher not in contractual continued service shall be evaluated at least once each school year.

(Source: P.A. 96-861, eff. 1-15-10.)

(105 ILCS 5/24A-15)

Sec. 24A-15. Development of evaluation plan for principals and assistant principals.

(a) Each school district, except for a school district organized under Article 34 of this Code, shall establish a principal and assistant principal evaluation plan in accordance with this Section. The plan must ensure that each principal and assistant principal is evaluated as follows:

(1) For a principal or assistant principal on a single-year contract, the evaluation must take place by March 1 of each year.

(2) For a principal or assistant principal on a multi-year contract under Section 10-23.8a of this Code, the evaluation must take place by March 1 of the final year of the contract.

On and after September 1, 2012, the plan must:

(i) rate the principal's or assistant principal's performance as "excellent", "proficient", "needs improvement" or "unsatisfactory"; and

(ii) ensure that each principal and assistant principal is evaluated at least once every school year.

Nothing in this Section prohibits a school district from conducting additional evaluations of principals and assistant principals.

For the 2022-2023 school year only, if the Governor has declared a disaster due to a public health emergency pursuant to Section 7 of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act, a school district may waive the evaluation requirement of all principals or assistant principals whose performances were rated as either "excellent" or "proficient" during the last school year in which the principals or assistant principals were evaluated under this Section.

(b) The evaluation shall include a description of the principal's or assistant principal's duties and responsibilities and the standards to which the principal or assistant principal is expected to conform.

(c) The evaluation for a principal must be performed by the district superintendent, the superintendent's designee, or, in the absence of the superintendent or his or her designee, an individual appointed by the school board who holds a registered Type 75 State administrative certificate.

Prior to September 1, 2012, the evaluation must be in writing and must at least do all of the following:

(1) Consider the principal's specific duties, responsibilities, management, and competence as a principal.

(2) Specify the principal's strengths and weaknesses, with supporting reasons.

(3) Align with research-based standards established by administrative rule.

On and after September 1, 2012, the evaluation must, in addition to the requirements in items (1), (2), and (3) of this subsection (c), provide for the use of data and indicators on student growth as a significant factor in rating performance.

(c-5) The evaluation of an assistant principal must be performed by the principal, the district superintendent, the superintendent's designee, or, in the absence of the superintendent or his or her designee, an individual appointed by the school board who holds a registered Type 75 State administrative certificate. The evaluation must be in writing and must at least do all of the following:

(1) Consider the assistant principal's specific duties, responsibilities, management, and competence as an assistant principal.

(2) Specify the assistant principal's strengths and weaknesses with supporting reasons.

(3) Align with the Illinois Professional Standards for School Leaders or research-based district standards.

On and after September 1, 2012, the evaluation must, in addition to the requirements in items (1), (2), and (3) of this subsection (c-5), provide for the use of data and indicators on student growth as a significant factor in rating performance.

(d) One copy of the evaluation must be included in the principal's or assistant principal's personnel file and one copy of the evaluation must be provided to the principal or assistant principal.

(e) Failure by a district to evaluate a principal or assistant principal and to provide the principal or assistant principal with a copy of the evaluation at least once during the term of the principal's or assistant principal's contract, in accordance with this Section, is evidence that the principal or assistant principal is performing duties and responsibilities in at least a satisfactory manner and shall serve to automatically extend the principal's or assistant principal's contract for a period of one year after the contract would otherwise expire, under the same terms and conditions as the prior year's contract. The requirements in this Section are in addition to the right of a school board to reclassify a principal or assistant principal pursuant to Section 10-23.8b of this Code.

(f) Nothing in this Section prohibits a school board from ordering lateral transfers of principals or assistant principals to positions of similar rank and salary.

(Source: P.A. 102-729, eff. 5-6-22.)

(105 ILCS 5/24A-20)

Sec. 24A-20. State Board of Education data collection and evaluation assessment and support systems.

(a) On or before the date established in subsection (b) of this Section, the State Board of Education shall, through a process involving collaboration with the Performance Evaluation Advisory Council, develop or contract for the development of and implement all of the following data collection and evaluation assessment and support systems:

(1) A system to annually collect and publish data by district and school on teacher and administrator performance evaluation outcomes. The system must ensure that no teacher or administrator can be personally identified by publicly reported data.

(2) Both a teacher and principal model evaluation template. The model templates must incorporate the requirements of this Article and any other requirements established by the State Board by administrative rule, but allow customization by districts in a manner that does not conflict with such requirements.

(3) An evaluator pre-qualification program based on the model teacher evaluation template.

(4) An evaluator training program based on the model teacher evaluation template. The training program shall provide multiple training options that account for the prior training and experience of the evaluator.

(5) A superintendent training program based on the model principal evaluation template.

(6) One or more instruments to provide feedback to principals on the instructional environment within a school.

(7) A State Board-provided or approved technical assistance system that supports districts with the development and implementation of teacher and principal evaluation systems.

(8) Web-based systems and tools supporting implementation of the model templates and the evaluator pre-qualification and training programs.

(9) A process for measuring and reporting correlations between local principal and teacher evaluations and (A) student growth in tested grades and subjects and (B) retention rates of teachers.

(10) A process for assessing whether school district evaluation systems developed pursuant to this Act and that consider student growth as a significant factor in the rating of a teacher's and principal's performance are valid and reliable, contribute to the development of staff, and improve student achievement outcomes. By no later than September 1, 2014, a research-based study shall be issued assessing such systems for validity and reliability, contribution to the development of staff, and improvement of student performance and recommending, based on the results of this study, changes, if any, that need to be incorporated into teacher and principal evaluation systems that consider student growth as a significant factor in the rating performance for remaining school districts to be required to implement such systems.

(b) If the State of Illinois receives a Race to the Top Grant, the data collection and support systems described in subsection (a) must be developed on or before September 30, 2011. If the State of Illinois does not receive a Race to the Top Grant, the data collection and support systems described in subsection (a) must be developed on or before September 30, 2012; provided, however, that the data collection and support systems set forth in items (3) and (4) of subsection (a) of this Section must be developed by September 30, 2011 regardless of whether the State of Illinois receives a Race to the Top Grant. By no later than September 1, 2011, if the State of Illinois receives a Race to the Top Grant, or September 1, 2012, if the State of Illinois does not receive a Race to the Top Grant, the State Board of Education must execute or contract for the execution of the assessment referenced in item (10) of subsection (a) of this Section to determine whether the school district evaluation systems developed pursuant to this Act have been valid and reliable, contributed to the development of staff, and improved student performance.

(c) Districts shall submit data and information to the State Board on teacher and principal performance evaluations and evaluation plans in accordance with procedures and requirements for submissions established by the State Board. Such data shall include, without limitation, (i) data on the performance rating given to all teachers in contractual continued service, (ii) data on district recommendations to renew or not renew teachers not in contractual continued service, and (iii) data on the performance rating given to all principals.

(d) If the State Board of Education does not timely fulfill any of the requirements set forth in Sections 24A-7 and 24A-20, and adequate and sustainable federal, State, or other funds are not provided to the State Board of Education and school districts to meet their responsibilities under this Article, the applicable implementation date shall be postponed by the number of calendar days equal to those needed by the State Board of Education to fulfill such requirements and for the adequate and sustainable funds to be provided to the State Board of Education and school districts. The determination as to whether the State Board of Education has fulfilled any or all requirements set forth in Sections 24A-7 and 24A-20 and whether adequate and sustainable funds have been provided to the State Board of Education and school districts shall be made by the State Board of Education in consultation with the P-20 Council.

(e) The State Board of Education shall report teacher evaluation data from each school in the State. The State Board's report shall include:

(1) data from the most recent performance evaluation ratings issued prior to the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 103rd General Assembly for all nontenured teachers and teachers in contractual continued service broken down by the race and ethnicity of teachers; and

(2) data from the most recent performance evaluation ratings issued prior to the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 103rd General Assembly for all nontenured teachers and teachers in contractual continued service broken down by the race, ethnicity, and eligibility status for free or reduced-price lunch of students in the school where the teachers work.

The report shall contain data in an aggregate format. The report with the aggregate data is not confidential pursuant to Section 24A-7.1 of this Code unless an individual teacher is personally identifiable in the report. With respect to the report, the underlying data and any personally identifying information of a teacher shall be confidential. The State Board shall provide the data in the report in a format that prevents identification of individual teachers.

(Source: P.A. 103-452, eff. 1-1-24.)

(105 ILCS 5/Art. 26 heading) ARTICLE 26. PUPILS--COMPULSORY ATTENDANCE

(105 ILCS 5/26-1) (from Ch. 122, par. 26-1)

Sec. 26-1. Compulsory school age; exemptions. Whoever has custody or control of any child (i) between the ages of 7 and 17 years (unless the child has already graduated from high school) for school years before the 2014-2015 school year or (ii) between the ages of 6 (on or before September 1) and 17 years (unless the child has already graduated from high school) beginning with the 2014-2015 school year shall cause such child to attend some public school in the district wherein the child resides the entire time it is in session during the regular school term, except as provided in Section 10-19.1, and during a required summer school program established under Section 10-22.33B; provided, that the following children shall not be required to attend the public schools:

1. Any child attending a private or a parochial school where children are taught the branches of education taught to children of corresponding age and grade in the public schools, and where the instruction of the child in the branches of education is in the English language;

2. Any child who is physically or mentally unable to attend school, such disability being certified to the county or district truant officer by a competent physician licensed in Illinois to practice medicine and surgery in all its branches, a chiropractic physician licensed under the Medical Practice Act of 1987, a licensed advanced practice registered nurse, a licensed physician assistant, or a Christian Science practitioner residing in this State and listed in the Christian Science Journal; or who is excused for temporary absence for cause by the principal or teacher of the school which the child attends, with absence for cause by illness being required to include the mental or behavioral health of the child for up to 5 days for which the child need not provide a medical note, in which case the child shall be given the opportunity to make up any school work missed during the mental or behavioral health absence and, after the second mental health day used, may be referred to the appropriate school support personnel; the exemptions in this paragraph (2) do not apply to any female who is pregnant or the mother of one or more children, except where a female is unable to attend school due to a complication arising from her pregnancy and the existence of such complication is certified to the county or district truant officer by a competent physician;

3. Any child necessarily and lawfully employed according to the provisions of the law regulating child labor may be excused from attendance at school by the county superintendent of schools or the superintendent of the public school which the child should be attending, on certification of the facts by and the recommendation of the school board of the public school district in which the child resides. In districts having part-time continuation schools, children so excused shall attend such schools at least 8 hours each week;

4. Any child over 12 and under 14 years of age while in attendance at confirmation classes;

5. Any child absent from a public school on a particular day or days or at a particular time of day for the reason that he is unable to attend classes or to participate in any examination, study, or work requirements on a particular day or days or at a particular time of day because of religious reasons, including the observance of a religious holiday or participation in religious instruction, or because the tenets of his religion forbid secular activity on a particular day or days or at a particular time of day. A school board may require the parent or guardian of a child who is to be excused from attending school because of religious reasons to give notice, not exceeding 5 days, of the child's absence to the school principal or other school personnel. Any child excused from attending school under this paragraph 5 shall not be required to submit a written excuse for such absence after returning to school. A district superintendent shall develop and distribute to schools appropriate procedures regarding a student's absence for religious reasons, how schools are notified of a student's impending absence for religious reasons, and the requirements of Section 26-2b of this Code;

6. Any child 16 years of age or older who (i) submits to a school district evidence of necessary and lawful employment pursuant to paragraph 3 of this Section and (ii) is enrolled in a graduation incentives program pursuant to Section 26-16 of this Code or an alternative learning opportunities program established pursuant to Article 13B of this Code;

7. A child in any of grades 6 through 12 absent from a public school on a particular day or days or at a particular time of day for the purpose of sounding "Taps" at a military honors funeral held in this State for a deceased veteran. In order to be excused under this paragraph 7, the student shall notify the school's administration at least 2 days prior to the date of the absence and shall provide the school's administration with the date, time, and location of the military honors funeral. The school's administration may waive this 2-day notification requirement if the student did not receive at least 2 days advance notice, but the student shall notify the school's administration as soon as possible of the absence. A student whose absence is excused under this paragraph 7 shall be counted as if the student attended school for purposes of calculating the average daily attendance of students in the school district. A student whose absence is excused under this paragraph 7 must be allowed a reasonable time to make up school work missed during the absence. If the student satisfactorily completes the school work, the day of absence shall be counted as a day of compulsory attendance and he or she may not be penalized for that absence; and

8. Any child absent from a public school on a particular day or days or at a particular time of day for the reason that his or her parent or legal guardian is an active duty member of the uniformed services and has been called to duty for, is on leave from, or has immediately returned from deployment to a combat zone or combat-support postings. Such a student shall be granted 5 days of excused absences in any school year and, at the discretion of the school board, additional excused absences to visit the student's parent or legal guardian relative to such leave or deployment of the parent or legal guardian. In the case of excused absences pursuant to this paragraph 8, the student and parent or legal guardian shall be responsible for obtaining assignments from the student's teacher prior to any period of excused absence and for ensuring that such assignments are completed by the student prior to his or her return to school from such period of excused absence.

Any child from a public middle school or high school, subject to guidelines established by the State Board of Education, shall be permitted by a school board one school day-long excused absence per school year for the child who is absent from school to engage in a civic event. The school board may require that the student provide reasonable advance notice of the intended absence to the appropriate school administrator and require that the student provide documentation of participation in a civic event to the appropriate school administrator.

(Source: P.A. 102-266, eff. 1-1-22; 102-321, eff. 1-1-22; 102-406, eff. 8-19-21; 102-813, eff. 5-13-22; 102-981, eff. 1-1-23.)

(105 ILCS 5/26-2) (from Ch. 122, par. 26-2)

Sec. 26-2. Enrolled pupils not of compulsory school age.

(a) Any person having custody or control of a child who is below the age of 6 years or is 17 years of age or above and who is enrolled in any of grades kindergarten through 12 in the public school shall cause the child to attend the public school in the district wherein he or she resides when it is in session during the regular school term, unless the child is excused under Section 26-1 of this Code.

(b) A school district shall deny reenrollment in its secondary schools to any child 19 years of age or above who has dropped out of school and who could not, because of age and lack of credits, attend classes during the normal school year and graduate before his or her twenty-first birthday. A district may, however, enroll the child in a graduation incentives program under Section 26-16 of this Code or an alternative learning opportunities program established under Article 13B. No child shall be denied reenrollment for the above reasons unless the school district first offers the child due process as required in cases of expulsion under Section 10-22.6. If a child is denied reenrollment after being provided with due process, the school district must provide counseling to that child and must direct that child to alternative educational programs, including adult education programs, that lead to graduation or receipt of a State of Illinois High School Diploma.

(c) A school or school district may deny enrollment to a student 17 years of age or older for one semester for failure to meet minimum attendance standards if all of the following conditions are met:

(1) The student was absent without valid cause for 20% or more of the attendance days in the semester immediately prior to the current semester.

(2) The student and the student's parent or guardian are given written notice warning that the student is subject to denial from enrollment for one semester unless the student is absent without valid cause less than 20% of the attendance days in the current semester.

(3) The student's parent or guardian is provided with the right to appeal the notice, as determined by the State Board of Education in accordance with due process.

(4) The student is provided with attendance remediation services, including without limitation assessment, counseling, and support services.

(5) The student is absent without valid cause for 20% or more of the attendance days in the current semester.

A school or school district may not deny enrollment to a student (or reenrollment to a dropout) who is at least 17 years of age or older but below 19 years for more than one consecutive semester for failure to meet attendance standards.

(d) No child may be denied reenrollment under this Section in violation of the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act or the Americans with Disabilities Act.

(e) In this subsection (e), "reenrolled student" means a dropout who has reenrolled full-time in a public school. Each school district shall identify, track, and report on the educational progress and outcomes of reenrolled students as a subset of the district's required reporting on all enrollments. A reenrolled student who again drops out must not be counted again against a district's dropout rate performance measure. The State Board of Education shall set performance standards for programs serving reenrolled students.

(f) The State Board of Education shall adopt any rules necessary to implement the changes to this Section made by Public Act 93-803.

(Source: P.A. 102-981, eff. 1-1-23; 102-1100, eff. 1-1-23; 103-154, eff. 6-30-23.)

(105 ILCS 5/26-2a) (from Ch. 122, par. 26-2a)

(Text of Section before amendment by 102-466)

Sec. 26-2a. A "truant" is defined as a child who is subject to compulsory school attendance and who is absent without valid cause, as defined under this Section, from such attendance for more than 1% but less than 5% of the past 180 school days.

"Valid cause" for absence shall be illness, including the mental or behavioral health of the student, observance of a religious holiday, death in the immediate family, attendance at a civic event, or family emergency and shall include such other situations beyond the control of the student, as determined by the board of education in each district, or such other circumstances which cause reasonable concern to the parent for the mental, emotional, or physical health or safety of the student.

"Chronic or habitual truant" shall be defined as a child who is subject to compulsory school attendance and who is absent without valid cause from such attendance for 5% or more of the previous 180 regular attendance days.

"Civic event" means an event sponsored by a non-profit organization or governmental entity that is open to the public. "Civic event" includes, but is not limited to, an artistic or cultural performance or educational gathering that supports the mission of the sponsoring non-profit organization. The State Board of Education may adopt rules to further define "civic event".

"Truant minor" is defined as a chronic truant to whom supportive services, including prevention, diagnostic, intervention and remedial services, alternative programs and other school and community resources have been provided and have failed to result in the cessation of chronic truancy, or have been offered and refused.

A "dropout" is defined as any child enrolled in grades 9 through 12 whose name has been removed from the district enrollment roster for any reason other than the student's death, extended illness, removal for medical non-compliance, expulsion, aging out, graduation, or completion of a program of studies and who has not transferred to another public or private school and is not known to be home-schooled by his or her parents or guardians or continuing school in another country.

"Religion" for the purposes of this Article, includes all aspects of religious observance and practice, as well as belief.

(Source: P.A. 101-81, eff. 7-12-19; 102-266, eff. 1-1-22; 102-321, eff. 1-1-22; 102-813, eff. 5-13-22; 102-981, eff. 1-1-23.)

(Text of Section after amendment by P.A. 102-466)

Sec. 26-2a. A "truant" is defined as a child who is subject to compulsory school attendance and who is absent without valid cause, as defined under this Section, from such attendance for more than 1% but less than 5% of the past 180 school days.

"Valid cause" for absence shall be illness, including the mental or behavioral health of the student, attendance at a verified medical or therapeutic appointment, appointment with a victim services provider, observance of a religious holiday, death in the immediate family, attendance at a civic event, or family emergency and shall include such other situations beyond the control of the student, as determined by the board of education in each district, or such other circumstances which cause reasonable concern to the parent for the mental, emotional, or physical health or safety of the student. For purposes of a student who is an expectant parent, or parent, or victim of domestic or sexual violence, "valid cause" for absence includes (i) the fulfillment of a parenting responsibility, including, but not limited to, arranging and providing child care, caring for a sick child, attending prenatal or other medical appointments for the expectant student, and attending medical appointments for a child, and (ii) addressing circumstances resulting from domestic or sexual violence, including, but not limited to, experiencing domestic or sexual violence, recovering from physical or psychological injuries, seeking medical attention, seeking services from a domestic or sexual violence organization, as defined in Article 26A, seeking psychological or other counseling, participating in safety planning, temporarily or permanently relocating, seeking legal assistance or remedies, or taking any other action to increase the safety or health of the student or to protect the student from future domestic or sexual violence. A school district may require a student to verify his or her claim of domestic or sexual violence under Section 26A-45 prior to the district approving a valid cause for an absence of 3 or more consecutive days that is related to domestic or sexual violence.

"Chronic or habitual truant" shall be defined as a child who is subject to compulsory school attendance and who is absent without valid cause from such attendance for 5% or more of the previous 180 regular attendance days.

"Civic event" means an event sponsored by a non-profit organization or governmental entity that is open to the public. "Civic event" includes, but is not limited to, an artistic or cultural performance or educational gathering that supports the mission of the sponsoring non-profit organization. The State Board of Education may adopt rules to further define "civic event".

"Truant minor" is defined as a chronic truant to whom supportive services, including prevention, diagnostic, intervention and remedial services, alternative programs and other school and community resources have been provided and have failed to result in the cessation of chronic truancy, or have been offered and refused.

A "dropout" is defined as any child enrolled in grades 9 through 12 whose name has been removed from the district enrollment roster for any reason other than the student's death, extended illness, removal for medical non-compliance, expulsion, aging out, graduation, or completion of a program of studies and who has not transferred to another public or private school and is not known to be home-schooled by his or her parents or guardians or continuing school in another country.

"Religion" for the purposes of this Article, includes all aspects of religious observance and practice, as well as belief.

(Source: P.A. 101-81, eff. 7-12-19; 102-266, eff. 1-1-22; 102-321, eff. 1-1-22; 102-466, eff. 7-1-25; 102-813, eff. 5-13-22; 102-981, eff. 1-1-23.)

(105 ILCS 5/26-2b) (from Ch. 122, par. 26-2b)

Sec. 26-2b. Any child enrolled in a public school who is unable, because of the observance of a religious holiday, to attend classes on a particular day or days or at a particular time of day shall be excused from any examination or any study or work assignments on such particular day or days or at such particular time of day. It shall be the responsibility of the teachers and of the administrative officials of each public school to make available to each child who is absent from school because of the observance of a religious holiday an equivalent opportunity to make up any examination, study or work requirements which he has missed because of such absence on any particular day or days or at any particular time of day. No special fees of any kind shall be charged to the child for making available to such child such equivalent opportunity. No adverse or prejudicial effects shall result to any child because of his availing himself of the provisions of this Section.

(Source: P.A. 102-406, eff. 8-19-21.)

(105 ILCS 5/26-3) (from Ch. 122, par. 26-3)

Sec. 26-3. Teachers furnished list-Report of non-attendance-Report of persons not on list.

The clerk or secretary of the school board of all school districts except those employing district truant officers shall furnish the superintendent of schools at the beginning of the school year a list of the names and addresses of the children living in the district who come under the provisions of this Article and of persons having custody or control of such children. The superintendent shall at the opening of school and at other times when required by the regional superintendent of schools compare the list with the enrollment of the school or schools and report to the regional superintendent of schools the names of persons having custody or control of children included under the provisions of this Article who are truant or who are chronic or habitual truants for whom supportive services and other school resources have failed to correct the truant behavior and who are not in regular attendance at the public school, and the names of such children and their ages, stating in each case, if known, the cause of such absence. The report shall also contain the names of any other persons who were not enumerated in the list at the beginning of school and who have the custody or control of children not attending school. The regional superintendent shall, without delay, place such information at the disposal of the regional truant officer.

(Source: P.A. 80-908.)

(105 ILCS 5/26-3a) (from Ch. 122, par. 26-3a)

Sec. 26-3a. Report of pupils no longer enrolled in school.

The clerk or secretary of the school board of all school districts shall furnish quarterly on the first school day of October, January, April and July to the regional superintendent and to the Secretary of State a list of pupils, excluding transferees, who have been expelled or have withdrawn or who have left school and have been removed from the regular attendance rolls during the period of time school was in regular session from the time of the previous quarterly report. Such list shall include the names and addresses of pupils formerly in attendance, the names and addresses of persons having custody or control of such pupils, the reason, if known, such pupils are no longer in attendance and the date of removal from the attendance rolls. The list shall also include the names of: pupils whose withdrawal is due to extraordinary circumstances, including but not limited to economic or medical necessity or family hardship, as determined by the criteria established by the school district; pupils who have re-enrolled in school since their names were removed from the attendance rolls; any pupil certified to be a chronic or habitual truant, as defined in Section 26-2a; and pupils previously certified as chronic or habitual truants who have resumed regular school attendance. The regional superintendent shall inform the county or district truant officer who shall investigate to see that such pupils are in compliance with the requirements of this Article.

Each local school district shall establish, in writing, a set of criteria for use by the local superintendent of schools in determining whether a pupil's failure to attend school is the result of extraordinary circumstances, including but not limited to economic or medical necessity or family hardship.

If a pupil re-enrolls in school after his or her name was removed from the attendance rolls or resumes regular attendance after being certified a chronic or habitual truant, the pupil must obtain and forward to the Secretary of State, on a form designated by the Secretary of State, verification of his or her re-enrollment. The verification may be in the form of a signature or seal or in any other form determined by the school board.

The State Board of Education shall, if possible, make available to any person, upon request, a comparison of drop out rates before and after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 94th General Assembly.

(Source: P.A. 94-916, eff. 7-1-07; 95-496, eff. 8-28-07.)

(105 ILCS 5/26-3b) (from Ch. 122, par. 26-3b)

Sec. 26-3b. Beginning July 1, 1986, if any child enrolled in a public school in grades Kindergarten through 8 is absent from school, and there is no record that such absence is for a valid cause, as defined under Article 26 of this Code, nor notification that the absence has been authorized by the parent, legal guardian or other person having legal custody of such child, an employee or other agent, whether a volunteer or otherwise, designated by the public school in which the child is enrolled shall, within 2 hours after the first class in which the child is enrolled, make a reasonable effort to promptly telephone and notify the parent, legal guardian, or other person having legal custody of the child, of the child's absence from school. Such notification shall not be given for an absence authorized by the parent, legal guardian or other person having legal custody of such child. Prior to any enrollment of a child in a public school, the school district shall notify parents, legal guardians, or other persons having legal custody of a child, of their responsibility to authorize any absence and to notify the school in advance or at the time of any such absence, and that the school requires at least one and not more than 2 telephone numbers be given for purposes of this Section. The school district shall require that such telephone numbers be given at the time of enrollment of the child in school, which said numbers may be changed from time to time upon notification to the school.

The requirements of this Section shall have been met by the school if notification of an absence has been attempted by telephoning the 1 or 2 numbers given the school by the parent, legal guardian or other person having legal custody of a child, whether or not there is any answer at such telephone number or numbers. Further, the requirements of this Section shall have been met if the said notification is given to a member of the household of the child's parent, legal guardian or other person having legal custody of the child, which said member of the household must be 10 years of age or older.

An employee or other agent designated by the public school who in good faith makes a reasonable effort to notify the parent, legal guardian or other person having legal custody of a child of the child's absence from school, when required by this Section, shall not, as a result of his acts or omissions, except wilful or wanton misconduct on the part of such employee or agent in attempting to comply with the notification requirements of this Section, be liable for civil damages.

(Source: P.A. 84-178; 84-682.)

(105 ILCS 5/26-3d) (from Ch. 122, par. 26-3d)

Sec. 26-3d. All regional superintendents, district superintendents, and special education joint agreement directors shall collect data concerning truants, chronic truants, and truant minor pupils as designated by the State Board of Education. On or before August 15 of each year, this data must be submitted to the State Board of Education.

(Source: P.A. 96-734, eff. 8-25-09.)

(105 ILCS 5/26-4)

Sec. 26-4. (Repealed).

(Source: Repealed by P.A. 88-50.)

(105 ILCS 5/26-5) (from Ch. 122, par. 26-5)

Sec. 26-5. Duties of truant officers.

The truant officer of the school district, whenever notified by the Superintendent, teacher, or other person of violations of this Article, or the county truant officer, when notified by the County Superintendent, shall investigate all cases of truancy or non-attendance at school in their respective jurisdictions, and if the children complained of are not exempt under the provisions of this Article, the truant officer shall proceed as is provided in this Article. The county truant officer, within the county and the district truant officers, within their respective districts, shall in the exercise of their duties be conservators of the peace and shall keep the same, suppress riots, routs, affray, fighting, breaches of the peace, and prevent crime; and may arrest offenders on view and cause them to be brought before proper officials for trial or examination.

(Source: Laws 1961, p. 31.)

(105 ILCS 5/26-6) (from Ch. 122, par. 26-6)

Sec. 26-6. List and reports in districts employing truant officers.

In school districts which employ truant officers the clerk or secretary of the school board shall at the beginning of each school year furnish a copy of the last school census to the superintendent of schools (or principal teacher) in the district, together with the names and addresses of the truant officers in the district, and the superintendent, (or principal teacher) shall compare the census list with the enrollment of the school or schools and, from time to time, report to the proper truant officers the names and addresses of persons having custody or control of children included under the provisions of this Article who are truant or who are chronic or habitual truants for whom supportive services and other school resources have failed to correct the truant behavior and who are not in regular attendance at public schools and also the names of persons having custody or control of children who are not in regular attendance at school and whose names are not included in the census list.

(Source: P.A. 80-908.)

(105 ILCS 5/26-7) (from Ch. 122, par. 26-7)

Sec. 26-7. Notice to custodian-Notice of non-compliance. If any person fails to send any child under his custody or control to some lawful school, the truant officer or, in a school district that does not have a truant officer, the regional superintendent of schools or his or her designee shall, as soon as practicable after he is notified thereof, give notice in person or by mail to such person that such child shall be present at the proper public school on the day following the receipt of such notice. The notice shall state the date that attendance at school must begin and that such attendance must be continuous and consecutive in the district during the remainder of the school year. The truant officer or, in a school district that does not have a truant officer, the regional superintendent of schools or his or her designee shall at the same time that such notice is given notify the teacher or superintendent of the proper public school thereof and the teacher or superintendent shall notify the truant officer or regional superintendent of schools of any non-compliance therewith.

(Source: P.A. 93-858, eff. 1-1-05.)