(105 ILCS 5/34-18.1) (from Ch. 122, par. 34-18.1)

Sec. 34-18.1. Protection from suit. The board shall insure or indemnify and protect the board, Chicago Schools Academic Accountability Council, former School Board Nominating Commission, Local School Councils, or former Subdistrict Councils, any member of the board, Chicago Schools Accountability Council, former School Board Nominating Commission, Local School Council, or former Subdistrict Council, or any agent, employee, teacher, student teacher, officer, or member of the supervisory staff of the school district against financial loss and expense, including reasonable legal fees and costs arising out of any claim, demand, suit, or judgment by reason of alleged negligence, alleged violation of civil rights occurring on or after September 5, 1967, or alleged wrongful act resulting in death or bodily injury to any person or accidental damage to or destruction of property, within or without the school premises, provided such board member, agent, employee, teacher, student teacher, officer or member of the supervisory staff, at the time of the occurrence was acting under the direction of the board within the course or scope of his duties.

(Source: P.A. 89-15, eff. 5-30-95.)

(105 ILCS 5/34-18.2) (from Ch. 122, par. 34-18.2)

Sec. 34-18.2. Bilingual programs. The Board of Education may provide programs in a language other than English for those children whose first language is other than English. Such programs are subject to the approval of the State Board of Education pursuant to Article 14C of The School Code. Upon approval of the program the Board shall be entitled to payment from the State of Illinois for the services and materials required.

(Source: P.A. 81-1508.)

(105 ILCS 5/34-18.3) (from Ch. 122, par. 34-18.3)

Sec. 34-18.3. The Board of Education is authorized to establish and implement peer assistance, tutorial programs whereby qualified, able students assist less able students with their studies and course work. As a part of such program the Board shall award appropriate recognition to students furnishing such tutorial services. In addition, the Board is authorized to cooperate with institutions of higher education and may accept tutorial services provided by qualified students of such institutions under the Educational Partnership Act, as now or hereafter amended.

(Source: P.A. 84-712.)

(105 ILCS 5/34-18.4) (from Ch. 122, par. 34-18.4)

Sec. 34-18.4. Before and after school programs. The Board of Education may develop and maintain before school and after school programs for students in kindergarten through the 6th grade. Such programs may include time for homework, physical exercise, afternoon nutritional snacks and educational offerings which are in addition to those offered during the regular school day. The chief administrator in each district shall be a certified teacher or a person who meets the requirements for supervising a day care center under the Child Care Act of 1969. Individual programs shall be coordinated by certified teachers or by persons who meet the requirements for supervising a day care center under the Child Care Act of 1969. Additional employees who are not so qualified may also be employed for such programs.

The schedule of these programs may follow the work calendar of the local community rather than the regular school calendar. Parents or guardians of the participating students shall be responsible for providing transportation for the students to and from the programs. The school board may charge parents of participating students a fee, not to exceed the actual cost of such before and after school programs.

(Source: P.A. 83-639.)

(105 ILCS 5/34-18.5) (from Ch. 122, par. 34-18.5)

Sec. 34-18.5. Criminal history records checks and checks of the Statewide Sex Offender Database and Statewide Murderer and Violent Offender Against Youth Database.

(a) Licensed and nonlicensed applicants for employment with the school district are required as a condition of employment to authorize a fingerprint-based criminal history records check to determine if such applicants have been convicted of any disqualifying, enumerated criminal or drug offense in subsection (c) of this Section or have been convicted, within 7 years of the application for employment with the school district, of any other felony under the laws of this State or of any offense committed or attempted in any other state or against the laws of the United States that, if committed or attempted in this State, would have been punishable as a felony under the laws of this State. Authorization for the check shall be furnished by the applicant to the school district, except that if the applicant is a substitute teacher seeking employment in more than one school district, or a teacher seeking concurrent part-time employment positions with more than one school district (as a reading specialist, special education teacher or otherwise), or an educational support personnel employee seeking employment positions with more than one district, any such district may require the applicant to furnish authorization for the check to the regional superintendent of the educational service region in which are located the school districts in which the applicant is seeking employment as a substitute or concurrent part-time teacher or concurrent educational support personnel employee. Upon receipt of this authorization, the school district or the appropriate regional superintendent, as the case may be, shall submit the applicant's name, sex, race, date of birth, social security number, fingerprint images, and other identifiers, as prescribed by the Illinois State Police, to the Illinois State Police. The regional superintendent submitting the requisite information to the Illinois State Police shall promptly notify the school districts in which the applicant is seeking employment as a substitute or concurrent part-time teacher or concurrent educational support personnel employee that the check of the applicant has been requested. The Illinois State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation shall furnish, pursuant to a fingerprint-based criminal history records check, records of convictions, forever and hereinafter, until expunged, to the president of the school board for the school district that requested the check, or to the regional superintendent who requested the check. The Illinois State Police shall charge the school district or the appropriate regional superintendent a fee for conducting such check, which fee shall be deposited in the State Police Services Fund and shall not exceed the cost of the inquiry; and the applicant shall not be charged a fee for such check by the school district or by the regional superintendent. Subject to appropriations for these purposes, the State Superintendent of Education shall reimburse the school district and regional superintendent for fees paid to obtain criminal history records checks under this Section.

(a-5) The school district or regional superintendent shall further perform a check of the Statewide Sex Offender Database, as authorized by the Sex Offender Community Notification Law, for each applicant. The check of the Statewide Sex Offender Database must be conducted by the school district or regional superintendent once for every 5 years that an applicant remains employed by the school district.

(a-6) The school district or regional superintendent shall further perform a check of the Statewide Murderer and Violent Offender Against Youth Database, as authorized by the Murderer and Violent Offender Against Youth Community Notification Law, for each applicant. The check of the Murderer and Violent Offender Against Youth Database must be conducted by the school district or regional superintendent once for every 5 years that an applicant remains employed by the school district.

(b) Any information concerning the record of convictions obtained by the president of the board of education or the regional superintendent shall be confidential and may only be transmitted to the general superintendent of the school district or his designee, the appropriate regional superintendent if the check was requested by the board of education for the school district, the presidents of the appropriate board of education or school boards if the check was requested from the Illinois State Police by the regional superintendent, the State Board of Education and the school district as authorized under subsection (b-5), the State Superintendent of Education, the State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board or any other person necessary to the decision of hiring the applicant for employment. A copy of the record of convictions obtained from the Illinois State Police shall be provided to the applicant for employment. Upon the check of the Statewide Sex Offender Database or Statewide Murderer and Violent Offender Against Youth Database, the school district or regional superintendent shall notify an applicant as to whether or not the applicant has been identified in the Database. If a check of an applicant for employment as a substitute or concurrent part-time teacher or concurrent educational support personnel employee in more than one school district was requested by the regional superintendent, and the Illinois State Police upon a check ascertains that the applicant has not been convicted of any of the enumerated criminal or drug offenses in subsection (c) of this Section or has not been convicted, within 7 years of the application for employment with the school district, of any other felony under the laws of this State or of any offense committed or attempted in any other state or against the laws of the United States that, if committed or attempted in this State, would have been punishable as a felony under the laws of this State and so notifies the regional superintendent and if the regional superintendent upon a check ascertains that the applicant has not been identified in the Sex Offender Database or Statewide Murderer and Violent Offender Against Youth Database, then the regional superintendent shall issue to the applicant a certificate evidencing that as of the date specified by the Illinois State Police the applicant has not been convicted of any of the enumerated criminal or drug offenses in subsection (c) of this Section or has not been convicted, within 7 years of the application for employment with the school district, of any other felony under the laws of this State or of any offense committed or attempted in any other state or against the laws of the United States that, if committed or attempted in this State, would have been punishable as a felony under the laws of this State and evidencing that as of the date that the regional superintendent conducted a check of the Statewide Sex Offender Database or Statewide Murderer and Violent Offender Against Youth Database, the applicant has not been identified in the Database. The school board of any school district may rely on the certificate issued by any regional superintendent to that substitute teacher, concurrent part-time teacher, or concurrent educational support personnel employee or may initiate its own criminal history records check of the applicant through the Illinois State Police and its own check of the Statewide Sex Offender Database or Statewide Murderer and Violent Offender Against Youth Database as provided in this Section. Any unauthorized release of confidential information may be a violation of Section 7 of the Criminal Identification Act.

(b-5) If a criminal history records check or check of the Statewide Sex Offender Database or Statewide Murderer and Violent Offender Against Youth Database is performed by a regional superintendent for an applicant seeking employment as a substitute teacher with the school district, the regional superintendent may disclose to the State Board of Education whether the applicant has been issued a certificate under subsection (b) based on those checks. If the State Board receives information on an applicant under this subsection, then it must indicate in the Educator Licensure Information System for a 90-day period that the applicant has been issued or has not been issued a certificate.

(c) The board of education shall not knowingly employ a person who has been convicted of any offense that would subject him or her to license suspension or revocation pursuant to Section 21B-80 of this Code, except as provided under subsection (b) of 21B-80. Further, the board of education shall not knowingly employ a person who has been found to be the perpetrator of sexual or physical abuse of any minor under 18 years of age pursuant to proceedings under Article II of the Juvenile Court Act of 1987. As a condition of employment, the board of education must consider the status of a person who has been issued an indicated finding of abuse or neglect of a child by the Department of Children and Family Services under the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act or by a child welfare agency of another jurisdiction.

(d) The board of education shall not knowingly employ a person for whom a criminal history records check and a Statewide Sex Offender Database check have not been initiated.

(e) Within 10 days after the general superintendent of schools, a regional office of education, or an entity that provides background checks of license holders to public schools receives information of a pending criminal charge against a license holder for an offense set forth in Section 21B-80 of this Code, the superintendent, regional office of education, or entity must notify the State Superintendent of Education of the pending criminal charge.

No later than 15 business days after receipt of a record of conviction or of checking the Statewide Murderer and Violent Offender Against Youth Database or the Statewide Sex Offender Database and finding a registration, the general superintendent of schools or the applicable regional superintendent shall, in writing, notify the State Superintendent of Education of any license holder who has been convicted of a crime set forth in Section 21B-80 of this Code. Upon receipt of the record of a conviction of or a finding of child abuse by a holder of any license issued pursuant to Article 21B or Section 34-8.1 of this Code, the State Superintendent of Education may initiate licensure suspension and revocation proceedings as authorized by law. If the receipt of the record of conviction or finding of child abuse is received within 6 months after the initial grant of or renewal of a license, the State Superintendent of Education may rescind the license holder's license.

(e-5) The general superintendent of schools shall, in writing, notify the State Superintendent of Education of any license holder whom he or she has reasonable cause to believe has committed (i) an intentional act of abuse or neglect with the result of making a child an abused child or a neglected child, as defined in Section 3 of the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act or (ii) an act of sexual misconduct, as defined in Section 22-85.5 of this Code, and that act resulted in the license holder's dismissal or resignation from the school district and must include the Illinois Educator Identification Number (IEIN) of the license holder and a brief description of the misconduct alleged. This notification must be submitted within 30 days after the dismissal or resignation. The license holder must also be contemporaneously sent a copy of the notice by the superintendent. All correspondence, documentation, and other information so received by the State Superintendent of Education, the State Board of Education, or the State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board under this subsection (e-5) is confidential and must not be disclosed to third parties, except (i) as necessary for the State Superintendent of Education or his or her designee to investigate and prosecute pursuant to Article 21B of this Code, (ii) pursuant to a court order, (iii) for disclosure to the license holder or his or her representative, or (iv) as otherwise provided in this Article and provided that any such information admitted into evidence in a hearing is exempt from this confidentiality and non-disclosure requirement. Except for an act of willful or wanton misconduct, any superintendent who provides notification as required in this subsection (e-5) shall have immunity from any liability, whether civil or criminal or that otherwise might result by reason of such action.

(f) After March 19, 1990, the provisions of this Section shall apply to all employees of persons or firms holding contracts with any school district including, but not limited to, food service workers, school bus drivers and other transportation employees, who have direct, daily contact with the pupils of any school in such district. For purposes of criminal history records checks and checks of the Statewide Sex Offender Database on employees of persons or firms holding contracts with more than one school district and assigned to more than one school district, the regional superintendent of the educational service region in which the contracting school districts are located may, at the request of any such school district, be responsible for receiving the authorization for a criminal history records check prepared by each such employee and submitting the same to the Illinois State Police and for conducting a check of the Statewide Sex Offender Database for each employee. Any information concerning the record of conviction and identification as a sex offender of any such employee obtained by the regional superintendent shall be promptly reported to the president of the appropriate school board or school boards.

(f-5) Upon request of a school or school district, any information obtained by the school district pursuant to subsection (f) of this Section within the last year must be made available to the requesting school or school district.

(g) Prior to the commencement of any student teaching experience or required internship (which is referred to as student teaching in this Section) in the public schools, a student teacher is required to authorize a fingerprint-based criminal history records check. Authorization for and payment of the costs of the check must be furnished by the student teacher to the school district. Upon receipt of this authorization and payment, the school district shall submit the student teacher's name, sex, race, date of birth, social security number, fingerprint images, and other identifiers, as prescribed by the Illinois State Police, to the Illinois State Police. The Illinois State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation shall furnish, pursuant to a fingerprint-based criminal history records check, records of convictions, forever and hereinafter, until expunged, to the president of the board. The Illinois State Police shall charge the school district a fee for conducting the check, which fee must not exceed the cost of the inquiry and must be deposited into the State Police Services Fund. The school district shall further perform a check of the Statewide Sex Offender Database, as authorized by the Sex Offender Community Notification Law, and of the Statewide Murderer and Violent Offender Against Youth Database, as authorized by the Murderer and Violent Offender Against Youth Registration Act, for each student teacher. The board may not knowingly allow a person to student teach for whom a criminal history records check, a Statewide Sex Offender Database check, and a Statewide Murderer and Violent Offender Against Youth Database check have not been completed and reviewed by the district.

A copy of the record of convictions obtained from the Illinois State Police must be provided to the student teacher. Any information concerning the record of convictions obtained by the president of the board is confidential and may only be transmitted to the general superintendent of schools or his or her designee, the State Superintendent of Education, the State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board, or, for clarification purposes, the Illinois State Police or the Statewide Sex Offender Database or Statewide Murderer and Violent Offender Against Youth Database. Any unauthorized release of confidential information may be a violation of Section 7 of the Criminal Identification Act.

The board may not knowingly allow a person to student teach who has been convicted of any offense that would subject him or her to license suspension or revocation pursuant to subsection (c) of Section 21B-80 of this Code, except as provided under subsection (b) of Section 21B-80. Further, the board may not allow a person to student teach if he or she has been found to be the perpetrator of sexual or physical abuse of a minor under 18 years of age pursuant to proceedings under Article II of the Juvenile Court Act of 1987. The board must consider the status of a person to student teach who has been issued an indicated finding of abuse or neglect of a child by the Department of Children and Family Services under the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act or by a child welfare agency of another jurisdiction.

(h) (Blank).

(Source: P.A. 102-538, eff. 8-20-21; 102-552, eff. 1-1-22; 102-702, eff. 7-1-23; 102-813, eff. 5-13-22; 102-894, eff. 5-20-22; 102-1071, eff. 6-10-22; 103-154, eff. 6-30-23.)

(105 ILCS 5/34-18.6) (from Ch. 122, par. 34-18.6)

Sec. 34-18.6. Child abuse and neglect; detection, reporting, and prevention; willful or negligent failure to report.

(a) The Board of Education may provide staff development for local school site personnel who work with pupils in grades kindergarten through 8 in the detection, reporting, and prevention of child abuse and neglect.

(b) The Department of Children and Family Services may, in cooperation with school officials, distribute appropriate materials in school buildings listing the toll-free telephone number established in Section 7.6 of the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act, including methods of making a report under Section 7 of the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act, to be displayed in a clearly visible location in each school building.

(c) Except for an employee licensed under Article 21B of this Code, if the board determines that any school district employee has willfully or negligently failed to report an instance of suspected child abuse or neglect, as required by the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act, then the board may dismiss that employee immediately upon that determination. For purposes of this subsection (c), negligent failure to report an instance of suspected child abuse or neglect occurs when a school district employee personally observes an instance of suspected child abuse or neglect and reasonably believes, in his or her professional or official capacity, that the instance constitutes an act of child abuse or neglect under the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act, and he or she, without willful intent, fails to immediately report or cause a report to be made of the suspected abuse or neglect to the Department of Children and Family Services, as required by the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act.

(Source: P.A. 100-413, eff. 1-1-18; 100-468, eff. 6-1-18; 101-531, eff. 8-23-19.)

(105 ILCS 5/34-18.6a) (from Ch. 122, par. 34-18.6a)

Sec. 34-18.6a. Orders of protection. The board of education may prohibit the disclosure by any school employee to any person against whom the school district has received a certified copy of an order of protection the location or address of the petitioner for the order of protection or the identity of the schools in the district in which the petitioner's child or children are enrolled. The school district shall maintain the copy of the order of protection in the records of the child or children enrolled in the district whose parent is the petitioner of an order of protection.

(Source: P.A. 87-437.)

(105 ILCS 5/34-18.7) (from Ch. 122, par. 34-18.7)

(Section scheduled to be repealed on July 1, 2024)

Sec. 34-18.7. Youth mental illness and suicide detection and intervention. At least once every 2 years, licensed school personnel and administrators who work with pupils in kindergarten through grade 12 shall be trained to identify the warning signs of mental illness and suicidal behavior in youth and shall be taught various intervention techniques. The school district may utilize the Illinois Mental Health First Aid training program, established under the Illinois Mental Health First Aid Training Act and administered by certified instructors trained by a national association recognized as an authority in behavioral health, to provide the training and meet the requirements under this Section. If licensed school personnel or an administrator obtains mental health first aid training outside of an in-service training program, he or she may present a certificate of successful completion of the training to the school district to satisfy the requirements of this Section. The training shall be provided within the framework of existing in-service training programs offered by the Board or as part of the professional development activities required under Section 21-14 of this Code.

(Source: P.A. 100-903, eff. 1-1-19; 101-350, eff. 1-1-20. Repealed by P.A. 103-542, eff. 7-1-24 (see Section 905 of P.A. 103-563 for effective date of P.A. 103-542).)

(105 ILCS 5/34-18.8) (from Ch. 122, par. 34-18.8)

(Section scheduled to be repealed on July 1, 2024)

Sec. 34-18.8. HIV training. School counselors, nurses, teachers, school social workers, and other school personnel who work with students shall be trained to have a basic knowledge of matters relating to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), including the nature of the infection, its causes and effects, the means of detecting it and preventing its transmission, the availability of appropriate sources of counseling and referral, and any other medically accurate information that is age and developmentally appropriate for such students. The Board of Education shall supervise such training. The State Board of Education and the Department of Public Health shall jointly develop standards for such training.

(Source: P.A. 102-197, eff. 7-30-21; 102-522, eff. 8-20-21; 102-813, eff. 5-13-22. Repealed by P.A. 103-542, eff. 7-1-24 (see Section 905 of P.A. 103-563 for effective date of P.A. 103-542).)

(105 ILCS 5/34-18.9) (from Ch. 122, par. 34-18.9)

Sec. 34-18.9. Electronic paging devices on school property.

(a) The General Assembly finds and declares that the educational development of all persons to the limits of their capacities is a fundamental goal of the people of this State, that to achieve such goal it is essential to provide a safe and secure learning environment within the public schools, and that the unrestricted and unregulated use by students of pocket pagers and similar electronic paging devices on school grounds or in school buildings which are owned, occupied or leased by the board of education for school purposes and activities adversely affects the educational environment, welfare and safety of students enrolled in the public schools, in that pocket pagers and similar electronic paging devices are being regularly used for the conduct of unlawful activities during school hours and on school property, including activities directly related to the unlawful possession, sale, delivery or other trafficking in drugs or other substances which constitute a "controlled substance" as that term is defined in the Illinois Controlled Substances Act. It is the purpose and intention of the General Assembly, in enacting this legislation, to reduce or eliminate the occurrence of such unlawful activities during school hours and on school property by restricting and regulating student use or possession of pocket pagers and similar electronic paging devices as provided in this Section, and by providing for the imposition of appropriate discipline and sanctions for any violation of the provisions of this Section.

(b) No student shall use or have in his or her possession any pocket pager or similar electronic paging device while in any school building or on any school property, during regular school hours or at any other time, unless the use or possession of such device by such student has first been expressly authorized by the principal acting in accordance with standards developed as provided in subsection (c) for the granting of approved exceptions to the general prohibition of this Section against such use or possession.

(c) The board of education shall develop and promulgate written standards, which shall be furnished by the board of education to each principal, under which a principal:

(1) may authorize the use or possession of a pocket pager or similar electronic paging device by a student while in a school building or on school property as an approved exception to the general prohibition of this Section against such use or possession; and

(2) may impose appropriate discipline or other sanctions against any student who violates any provision of this Section.

(Source: P.A. 86-791.)