105 ILCS 5/ School Code.

(105 ILCS 5/13A-2.15)

Sec. 13A-2.15. (Repealed).

(Source: P.A. 89-383, eff. 8-18-95. Repealed by P.A. 89-629, eff. 8-9-96.)

(105 ILCS 5/13A-2.20)

Sec. 13A-2.20. Educational service region. "Educational service region" has the meaning ascribed to it in Article 3A of this Code.

(Source: P.A. 89-383, eff. 8-18-95.)

(105 ILCS 5/13A-2.25)

Sec. 13A-2.25. State board. "State board" means the State Board of Education, as defined in Section 1A-1 of this Code.

(Source: P.A. 89-383, eff. 8-18-95.)

(105 ILCS 5/13A-2.30)

Sec. 13A-2.30. District superintendent. "District superintendent" has the meaning ascribed to it in Section 10-21.4 of this Code.

(Source: P.A. 89-383, eff. 8-18-95.)

(105 ILCS 5/13A-3)

Sec. 13A-3. Alternative schools.

(a) Except with respect to the Chicago public school system as provided in Section 13A-11, beginning with the 1996-97 school year, there is hereby created in this State a system of alternative school education programs. At least one alternative school program may be located within each educational service region or established jointly by more than one regional office of education to serve more than one educational service region.

(b) Each regional superintendent shall hold a public hearing, by December 1 of the school year following the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1995, to determine the need for an alternative school. The hearing shall be held before the regional board. The regional superintendent, after consulting with the district superintendent of each school district located within the regional superintendent's educational service region and the regional board, shall determine the location and the need of the alternative school within that region. In making this determination, the regional superintendent shall consider the following:

(1) the possible utilization of existing buildings, including but not limited to governmental buildings, that are, or could reasonably be made, usable as an alternative school;

(2) which available option would be least costly; and

(3) distances that administratively transferred students would need to travel and the costs of that travel.

(c) Upon determination of the need for establishment of an alternative school program, each school district located within the region shall provide the regional superintendent with a copy of the district's discipline policy and procedure for effecting the suspension or expulsion of the students of that district. Thereafter, the regional superintendent in cooperation with a representative from each school district in the region shall establish and each school district in the region shall adopt policies and procedures that shall guide each district in the identification and placement of students in the alternative school program.

(d) The regional superintendent shall locate the alternative school program so that it is as far away from any other school buildings or school grounds in that educational service region as circumstances permit.

(e) With the approval of the State board, additional alternative school programs may be established in an educational service region. If the regional superintendent determines that an additional alternative school is required in the regional superintendent's educational service region, he or she may petition the State board to authorize one or more additional alternative school programs in that region.

(f) In determining whether an additional alternative school program is necessary and appropriate for an educational service region requesting it, the State board shall consider, among other factors, the following:

(1) the geographic size of the educational service region and distances that students within that region must travel in order to attend the existing alternative school program;

(2) the student population of schools comprising the educational service region and the likely student population of all alternative school programs within that region if the petition is granted;

(3) any other logistical considerations; and

(4) the costs necessitated by establishing an additional alternative school in that educational service region.

(g) In the event the State board grants a petition for an additional alternative school program, then the State board, after consulting the regional superintendent, shall decide where the additional alternative school program shall be located within that region.

(Source: P.A. 89-383, eff. 8-18-95; 89-629, eff. 8-9-96.)

(105 ILCS 5/13A-4)

Sec. 13A-4. Administrative transfers.

(a) A student who is determined to be subject to suspension or expulsion in the manner provided by Section 10-22.6 (or, in the case of a student enrolled in the public schools of a school district organized under Article 34, in accordance with the uniform system of discipline established under Section 34-19) may be immediately transferred to the alternative school program.

(b) Before the effective date of the transfer, the student's parents or guardians shall receive information about the alternative school program, including the specific nature of the curriculum, the number of students in the program, any available services, the program's disciplinary policies, a typical daily schedule, and any extracurricular activities that may be offered at the alternative school program.

(c) At the earliest time following the effective date of the transfer, appropriate personnel from the sending school district and appropriate personnel of the alternative school program shall meet to develop an alternative educational plan for the student. The student and the student's parents or guardians shall be invited to this meeting. The alternative educational plan shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following:

(1) The duration of the plan, including a date after which the student will be returned to the regular educational program in the public schools of the transferring district.

(2) The specific academic and behavioral components of the plan.

(3) A method and time frame for reviewing the student's progress and for transitioning the student back to the regular educational program in the public schools of the transferring district on the date set forth in paragraph (1), including a transition meeting between the sending school district, the alternative school program, and the student's parent or guardian at least 30 days prior to the date after which the student will be returned to the regular educational program in the public schools of the transferring district.

If the student or the student's parents or guardians are unable to attend the meeting required under this subsection (c), the appropriate personnel from the alternative school program shall offer a meeting within 30 days after the effective date of the transfer to the student and the student's parents or guardians to discuss and provide input on the student's alternative educational plan and shall provide a copy of the alternative educational plan to the student and the student's parents or guardians prior to the meeting.

(d) The date after which the student will return to the regular educational program in the public schools of the transferring district shall not be extended over the objection of the student's parent or guardian.

(e) The date after which the student will return to the regular educational program in the public schools of the transferring district may be extended upon written agreement by the transferring school district, the alternative school program, and the student's parent or guardian.

(f) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Article, if a student for whom an individualized education program has been developed under Article 14 is transferred to an alternative school program under this Article, that individualized education program shall continue to apply to that student following the transfer, unless modified in accordance with the provisions of Article 14.

(Source: P.A. 103-473, eff. 1-1-24.)

(105 ILCS 5/13A-5)

Sec. 13A-5. Alternative school program curriculum.

(a) The regional superintendent shall implement, or contract with one or more school districts to implement, a multi-disciplinary curriculum, which may include work-based learning and community service work approved by the regional superintendent of schools in consultation with the State Board of Education for which academic credit is earned, for the alternative school program designed to address the individualized needs of the students of that program, with special emphasis toward making the educational experience of each student meaningful and worthwhile. In the design and implementation of that curriculum, the regional superintendent or school district shall give due consideration to the rules and regulations adopted by the State Board of Education for alternative schools and optional education programs. The regional superintendent or school district (i) may contract with third parties for any services otherwise performed by employees and (ii) may apply for waivers or modifications of mandates of this Code or of administrative rules as provided in Section 2-3.25g of this Code and as are necessary for the alternative school program.

(b) An administratively transferred student who successfully completes the requirements for his or her high school graduation shall receive a diploma identifying the student as graduating from the transferring high school. In the event the student is administratively transferred before enrolling in a high school, then that student shall receive a diploma from the high school the student would have attended if the student had not attended an alternative school program.

(Source: P.A. 90-283, eff. 7-31-97; 91-318, eff. 7-29-99.)

(105 ILCS 5/13A-6)

Sec. 13A-6. Administration; contracts; waivers.

(a) The regional superintendent shall administer, or contract with one or more school districts to administer, alternative school programs located within the educational service region. The regional superintendent or school district (i) may contract with third parties for any services otherwise performed by employees and (ii) may apply for waivers or modifications of mandates of this Code or of administrative rules as provided in Section 2-3.25g of this Code and as are necessary for the alternative school program.

(b) The regional superintendent is responsible for the administrative and fiscal structure for the program.

(Source: P.A. 91-318, eff. 7-29-99.)

(105 ILCS 5/13A-7)

Sec. 13A-7. Employees. In all school districts, including special charter districts and districts located in cities having a population exceeding 500,000, the local school board shall grant, for a period of up to 5 years, a leave of absence to those of its employees who accept employment with an alternative school, provided that the employee shall satisfy any leave of absence provisions that may exist under a collective bargaining agreement or, if such an agreement does not exist, a school board policy. At the end of the authorized leave of absence, the employee must return to the school district in a comparable position or resign. The contractual continued service status and retirement benefits of an employee of the district who is granted a leave of absence to accept employment with an alternative school shall not be affected by that leave of absence.

(Source: P.A. 89-383, eff. 8-18-95.)

(105 ILCS 5/13A-8)

Sec. 13A-8. Funding.

(a) The State of Illinois shall provide funding for the alternative school programs within each educational service region and within the Chicago public school system by line item appropriation made to the State Board of Education for that purpose. This money, when appropriated, shall be provided to the regional superintendent and to the Chicago Board of Education, who shall establish a budget, including salaries, for their alternative school programs. Each program shall receive funding in the amount of $30,000 plus an amount based on the ratio of the region's or Chicago's best 3 months' average daily attendance in grades pre-kindergarten through 12 to the statewide totals of these amounts. For purposes of this calculation, the best 3 months' average daily attendance for each region or Chicago shall be calculated by adding to the best 3 months' average daily attendance the number of low-income students identified in the most recently available federal census multiplied by one-half times the percentage of the region's or Chicago's low-income students to the State's total low-income students. The State Board of Education shall retain up to 1.1% of the appropriation to be used to provide technical assistance, professional development, and evaluations for the programs.

(a-5) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Section, for the 1998-1999 fiscal year, the total amount distributed under subsection (a) for an alternative school program shall be not less than the total amount that was distributed under that subsection for that alternative school program for the 1997-1998 fiscal year. If an alternative school program is to receive a total distribution under subsection (a) for the 1998-1999 fiscal year that is less than the total distribution that the program received under that subsection for the 1997-1998 fiscal year, that alternative school program shall also receive, from a separate appropriation made for purposes of this subsection (a-5), a supplementary payment equal to the amount by which its total distribution under subsection (a) for the 1997-1998 fiscal year exceeds the amount of the total distribution that the alternative school program receives under that subsection for the 1998-1999 fiscal year. If the amount appropriated for supplementary payments to alternative school programs under this subsection (a-5) is insufficient for that purpose, those supplementary payments shall be prorated among the alternative school programs entitled to receive those supplementary payments according to the aggregate amount of the appropriation made for purposes of this subsection (a-5).

(b) An alternative school program shall be entitled to receive general State aid as calculated in subsection (K) of Section 18-8.05 or evidence-based funding as calculated in subsection (g) of Section 18-8.15 upon filing a claim as provided therein. Any time that a student who is enrolled in an alternative school program spends in work-based learning, community service, or a similar alternative educational setting shall be included in determining the student's minimum number of clock hours of daily school work that constitute a day of attendance for purposes of calculating general State aid or evidence-based funding.

(c) An alternative school program may receive additional funding from its school districts in such amount as may be agreed upon by the parties and necessary to support the program. In addition, an alternative school program is authorized to accept and expend gifts, legacies, and grants, including but not limited to federal grants, from any source for purposes directly related to the conduct and operation of the program.

(Source: P.A. 100-465, eff. 8-31-17.)

(105 ILCS 5/13A-9)

Sec. 13A-9. Transportation. Subject to the requirements of Article 29 and except as otherwise agreed by the parents, school and regional superintendent, the school from which a student is administratively transferred shall provide for any transportation that the transfer necessitates, if transportation is required pursuant to Section 29-3. The regional superintendent shall coordinate all transportation arrangements with transferring school districts. The regional superintendent may also arrange for cooperation between school districts in the regional superintendent's educational service region regarding the transportation needs of transferred students in order to reduce the costs of that transportation and to provide greater convenience for the students involved.

(Source: P.A. 89-383, eff. 8-18-95; 89-629, eff. 8-9-96; 89-636, eff. 8-9-96; 90-14, eff. 7-1-97.)

(105 ILCS 5/13A-10)

Sec. 13A-10. Alternative School Programs in Class II Counties. The executive director of educational service centers located in Class II counties outside a city of 500,000 or more inhabitants shall, for the educational service center area, perform the duties assigned by this Article to regional superintendents.

(Source: P.A. 89-383, eff. 8-18-95; 89-629, eff. 8-9-96.)

(105 ILCS 5/13A-11)

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

Sec. 13A-11. Chicago public schools.

(a) The Chicago Board of Education may establish alternative schools within Chicago and may contract with third parties for services otherwise performed by employees, including those in a bargaining unit, in accordance with Sections 34-8.1, 34-18, and 34-49.

(b) Alternative schools operated by third parties within Chicago shall be exempt from all provisions of this Code, except provisions concerning:

(1) student civil rights;

(2) staff civil rights;

(3) health and safety;

(4) performance and financial audits;

(5) the assessments required under Section 2-3.64a-5 of this Code;

(6) Chicago learning outcomes;

(7) Sections 2-3.25a through 2-3.25j of this Code;

(8) the Inspector General; and

(9) Section 34-2.4b of this Code.

(Source: P.A. 98-972, eff. 8-15-14.)

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

Sec. 13A-11. Chicago public schools.

(a) The Chicago Board of Education may establish alternative schools within Chicago and may contract with third parties for services otherwise performed by employees, including those in a bargaining unit, in accordance with Sections 34-8.1, 34-18, and 34-49.

(b) Alternative schools operated by third parties within Chicago shall be exempt from all provisions of this Code, except provisions concerning:

(1) student civil rights;

(2) staff civil rights;

(3) health and safety;

(4) performance and financial audits;

(5) the assessments required under Section 2-3.64a-5 of this Code;

(6) Chicago learning outcomes;

(7) Sections 2-3.25a through 2-3.25j of this Code;

(8) the Inspector General;

(9) Section 34-2.4b of this Code; and

(10) Article 26A and any other provision of this Code concerning students who are parents, expectant parents, or victims of domestic or sexual violence, as defined in Article 26A.

(Source: P.A. 102-466, eff. 7-1-25.)

(105 ILCS 5/Art. 13B heading) ARTICLE 13B. ALTERNATIVE LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

(105 ILCS 5/13B-1)

Sec. 13B-1. Short title. This Article may be cited as the Alternative Learning Opportunities Law.

(Source: P.A. 92-42, eff. 1-1-02.)