100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2017 and 2018
HB4442

 

Introduced , by Rep. Robyn Gabel

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
105 ILCS 5/27-22  from Ch. 122, par. 27-22
105 ILCS 5/27-23.1  from Ch. 122, par. 27-23.1
105 ILCS 110/3

    Amends the School Code and the Critical Health Problems and Comprehensive Health Education Act. Requires a school district to include in its curriculum a unit of instruction on parenting education for grades 9 through 12 that includes, but is not limited to, instruction on (i) family structure, function, and management, (ii) the prevention of child abuse, (iii) the physical, mental, emotional, social, economic, and psychological aspects of interpersonal and family relationships, and (iv) parenting education competency development that is aligned to the emotional and learning standards of the student's grade level. Provides that this instruction is a prerequisite to receiving a high school diploma and shall be included in the Comprehensive Health Education Program.


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FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY
STATE MANDATES ACT MAY REQUIRE REIMBURSEMENT

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

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1    AN ACT concerning education.
 
2    WHEREAS, Research-based prevention and wellness promotion
3efforts that strengthen positive parenting practices and
4enhance a child's resilience in the face of adversity have been
5shown to have a significant impact on a child's mental health,
6physical health, and educational outcomes; and
 
7    WHEREAS, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
8define positive parenting skills as good communication,
9appropriate discipline, and responding to a child's physical
10and emotional needs; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Studies in the last decade have shown that
12well-designed programs created to promote healthy cognitive,
13emotional, and social development can improve the prospects and
14quality of life of many children; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Parenting programs have been shown to provide
16critical information on child development and safety, promote
17positive parenting behaviors, teach effective discipline
18strategies, alter adverse family patterns, and reduce levels of
19child abuse and neglect; and
 
20    WHEREAS, Positive parenting practices are directly linked
21to adaptive behaviors in children and can buffer adverse
22outcomes, even amongst at-risk families; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, While positive parenting strategies can promote
2adjustment and achievement, child abuse and neglect can
3interrupt healthy development in children and can lead to
4maladaptive functioning; and
 
5    WHEREAS, In the first major study of child abuse and
6neglect in 20 years, researchers with the National Academy of
7Sciences reported that the damaging consequences of abuse can
8reshape a child's brain (resulting in consequences that last
9throughout his or her life), influence the child's amygdala
10(the part of the brain that regulates emotions, particularly
11fear and anxiety), and change how the functioning prefrontal
12cortex works (the part of the brain responsible for thinking,
13planning, reasoning, and decision-making), which can lead to
14behavioral and academic problems; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Research shows an association between child
16maltreatment and a broad range of social problems, including
17substance abuse, violence, criminal behavior, teenage
18pregnancy, anxiety, sexually transmitted diseases, smoking,
19obesity, and diabetes; and
 
20    WHEREAS, Child abuse and neglect is a serious health
21problem that costs the United States $103 billion annually,
22which includes $33 billion in direct costs for foster care

 

 

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1services, hospitalization, mental health treatment, and law
2enforcement and $70 billion in indirect costs, including
3productivity, chronic health problems, and special education;
4and
 
5    WHEREAS, Nobel prize-winning economist James J. Heckman
6and others have shown that for every dollar devoted to the
7nurturing of young children, the need for greater government
8spending on remedial education, teenage pregnancy, and prison
9incarceration may be eliminated; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Researchers have found that, left untreated, the
11effects of child abuse and neglect can profoundly influence a
12victim's physical and mental health, emotions and impulses,
13achievements in school, and relationships formed as a child and
14as an adult; and
 
15    WHEREAS, The American Academy of Pediatrics' Psychological
16Maltreatment Clinical Report posits that emotional abuse is
17linked with mental illness, delinquency, aggression, school
18troubles, and lifelong relationship problems in children.
19These effects of ill-treatment on a child's brain and
20behavioral development are not static and can be reversed with
21quick intervention and positive changes in a child's
22environment. The negative changes present in a child's brain
23can be countered by positive brain changes that take place when

 

 

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1the abuse ends and when the child is given the support he or
2she requires; parenting education is an effective way to
3prevent abuse and mental illness before it starts; therefore
 
4    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
5represented in the General Assembly:
 
6    Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Sections
727-22 and 27-23.1 as follows:
 
8    (105 ILCS 5/27-22)  (from Ch. 122, par. 27-22)
9    Sec. 27-22. Required high school courses.
10    (a) (Blank).
11    (b) (Blank).
12    (c) (Blank).
13    (d) (Blank).
14    (e) As a prerequisite to receiving a high school diploma,
15each pupil entering the 9th grade in the 2008-2009 school year
16or a subsequent school year must, in addition to other course
17requirements, successfully complete all of the following
18courses:
19        (1) Four years of language arts.
20        (2) Two years of writing intensive courses, one of
21    which must be English and the other of which may be English
22    or any other subject. When applicable, writing-intensive
23    courses may be counted towards the fulfillment of other

 

 

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1    graduation requirements.
2        (3) Three years of mathematics, one of which must be
3    Algebra I, one of which must include geometry content, and
4    one of which may be an Advanced Placement computer science
5    course if the pupil successfully completes Algebra II or an
6    integrated mathematics course with Algebra II content.
7        (4) Two years of science.
8        (5) Two years of social studies, of which at least one
9    year must be history of the United States or a combination
10    of history of the United States and American government
11    and, beginning with pupils entering the 9th grade in the
12    2016-2017 school year and each school year thereafter, at
13    least one semester must be civics, which shall help young
14    people acquire and learn to use the skills, knowledge, and
15    attitudes that will prepare them to be competent and
16    responsible citizens throughout their lives. Civics course
17    content shall focus on government institutions, the
18    discussion of current and controversial issues, service
19    learning, and simulations of the democratic process.
20    School districts may utilize private funding available for
21    the purposes of offering civics education.
22        (6) One year chosen from (A) music, (B) art, (C)
23    foreign language, which shall be deemed to include American
24    Sign Language, or (D) vocational education.
25        (7) Beginning with pupils entering the 9th grade in the
26    2019-2020 school year, parenting education, as provided

 

 

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1    under subsection (b) of Section 27-23.1 of this Code.
2    (f) The State Board of Education shall develop and inform
3school districts of standards for writing-intensive
4coursework.
5    (f-5) If a school district offers an Advanced Placement
6computer science course to high school students, then the
7school board must designate that course as equivalent to a high
8school mathematics course and must denote on the student's
9transcript that the Advanced Placement computer science course
10qualifies as a mathematics-based, quantitative course for
11students in accordance with subdivision (3) of subsection (e)
12of this Section.
13    (g) This amendatory Act of 1983 does not apply to pupils
14entering the 9th grade in 1983-1984 school year and prior
15school years or to students with disabilities whose course of
16study is determined by an individualized education program.
17    This amendatory Act of the 94th General Assembly does not
18apply to pupils entering the 9th grade in the 2004-2005 school
19year or a prior school year or to students with disabilities
20whose course of study is determined by an individualized
21education program.
22    This amendatory Act of the 100th General Assembly does not
23apply to pupils entering the 9th grade in the 2018-2019 school
24year or a prior school year or to students with disabilities
25whose course of study is determined by an individualized
26education program.

 

 

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1    (h) The provisions of this Section are subject to the
2provisions of Section 27-22.05 of this Code and the
3Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness Act.
4(Source: P.A. 99-434, eff. 7-1-16 (see P.A. 99-485 for the
5effective date of changes made by P.A. 99-434); 99-485, eff.
611-20-15; 99-674, eff. 7-29-16; 100-443, eff. 8-25-17.)
 
7    (105 ILCS 5/27-23.1)  (from Ch. 122, par. 27-23.1)
8    Sec. 27-23.1. Parenting education.
9    (a) School districts may provide instruction in parenting
10education for grades 6 through 12 and include such instruction
11in the courses of study regularly taught therein. School
12districts may give regular school credit for satisfactory
13completion by the student of such courses.
14    As used in this subsection (a) section, "parenting
15education" means and includes instruction in the following:
16        (1) Child growth and development, including prenatal
17    development.
18        (2) Childbirth and child care.
19        (3) Family structure, function and management.
20        (4) Prenatal and postnatal care for mothers and
21    infants.
22        (5) Prevention of child abuse.
23        (6) The physical, mental, emotional, social, economic
24    and psychological aspects of interpersonal and family
25    relationships.

 

 

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1        (7) Parenting skill development.
2    (b) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Section to
3the contrary, beginning with the 2019-2020 school year, a
4school district that maintains grades 9 through 12 shall
5include in its curriculum a unit of instruction on parenting
6education for grades 9 through 12 that includes, but is not
7limited to, instruction on (i) family structure, function, and
8management, (ii) the prevention of child abuse, (iii) the
9physical, mental, emotional, social, economic, and
10psychological aspects of interpersonal and family
11relationships, and (iv) parenting education competency
12development that is aligned to the emotional and learning
13standards of the student's grade level. Instruction under this
14subsection (b) shall be included in the
Comprehensive Health
15Education Program as provided under Section 3 of the Critical
16Health Problems and Comprehensive Health Education Act.
17    (c) The State Board of Education shall assist those
18districts offering parenting education instruction, upon
19request, in developing instructional materials, training
20teachers, and establishing appropriate time allotments for
21each of the areas included in such instruction.
22    (d) School districts may offer parenting education courses
23during that period of the day which is not part of the regular
24school day. Residents of the school district may enroll in such
25courses. The school board may establish fees and collect such
26charges as may be necessary for attendance at such courses in

 

 

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1an amount not to exceed the per capita cost of the operation
2thereof, except that the board may waive all or part of such
3charges if it determines that the individual is indigent or
4that the educational needs of the individual requires his or
5her attendance at such courses.
6(Source: P.A. 84-534.)
 
7    Section 10. The Critical Health Problems and Comprehensive
8Health Education Act is amended by changing Section 3 as
9follows:
 
10    (105 ILCS 110/3)
11    Sec. 3. Comprehensive Health Education Program. The
12program established under this Act shall include, but not be
13limited to, the following major educational areas as a basis
14for curricula in all elementary and secondary schools in this
15State: human ecology and health, human growth and development,
16the emotional, psychological, physiological, hygienic and
17social responsibilities of family life, including sexual
18abstinence until marriage, prevention and control of disease,
19including instruction in grades 6 through 12 on the prevention,
20transmission and spread of AIDS, age-appropriate sexual abuse
21and assault awareness and prevention education in grades
22pre-kindergarten through 12, public and environmental health,
23consumer health, safety education and disaster survival,
24mental health and illness, personal health habits, alcohol,

 

 

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1drug use, and abuse including the medical and legal
2ramifications of alcohol, drug, and tobacco use, abuse during
3pregnancy, evidence-based and medically accurate information
4regarding sexual abstinence, tobacco, nutrition, and dental
5health. The program shall also provide course material and
6instruction to advise pupils of the Abandoned Newborn Infant
7Protection Act. The program shall include information about
8cancer, including without limitation types of cancer, signs and
9symptoms, risk factors, the importance of early prevention and
10detection, and information on where to go for help. In grades 9
11through 12, the program shall include parenting education, as
12provided under subsection (b) of Section 27-23.1 of the School
13Code, beginning with the 2019-2020 school year.
14Notwithstanding the above educational areas, the following
15areas may also be included as a basis for curricula in all
16elementary and secondary schools in this State: basic first aid
17(including, but not limited to, cardiopulmonary resuscitation
18and the Heimlich maneuver), heart disease, diabetes, stroke,
19the prevention of child abuse, neglect, and suicide, and teen
20dating violence in grades 7 through 12. Beginning with the
212014-2015 school year, training on how to properly administer
22cardiopulmonary resuscitation (which training must be in
23accordance with standards of the American Red Cross, the
24American Heart Association, or another nationally recognized
25certifying organization) and how to use an automated external
26defibrillator shall be included as a basis for curricula in all

 

 

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1secondary schools in this State.
2    The school board of each public elementary and secondary
3school in the State shall encourage all teachers and other
4school personnel to acquire, develop, and maintain the
5knowledge and skills necessary to properly administer
6life-saving techniques, including without limitation the
7Heimlich maneuver and rescue breathing. The training shall be
8in accordance with standards of the American Red Cross, the
9American Heart Association, or another nationally recognized
10certifying organization. A school board may use the services of
11non-governmental entities whose personnel have expertise in
12life-saving techniques to instruct teachers and other school
13personnel in these techniques. Each school board is encouraged
14to have in its employ, or on its volunteer staff, at least one
15person who is certified, by the American Red Cross or by
16another qualified certifying agency, as qualified to
17administer first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation. In
18addition, each school board is authorized to allocate
19appropriate portions of its institute or inservice days to
20conduct training programs for teachers and other school
21personnel who have expressed an interest in becoming qualified
22to administer emergency first aid or cardiopulmonary
23resuscitation. School boards are urged to encourage their
24teachers and other school personnel who coach school athletic
25programs and other extracurricular school activities to
26acquire, develop, and maintain the knowledge and skills

 

 

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1necessary to properly administer first aid and cardiopulmonary
2resuscitation in accordance with standards and requirements
3established by the American Red Cross or another qualified
4certifying agency. Subject to appropriation, the State Board of
5Education shall establish and administer a matching grant
6program to pay for half of the cost that a school district
7incurs in training those teachers and other school personnel
8who express an interest in becoming qualified to administer
9cardiopulmonary resuscitation (which training must be in
10accordance with standards of the American Red Cross, the
11American Heart Association, or another nationally recognized
12certifying organization) or in learning how to use an automated
13external defibrillator. A school district that applies for a
14grant must demonstrate that it has funds to pay half of the
15cost of the training for which matching grant money is sought.
16The State Board of Education shall award the grants on a
17first-come, first-serve basis.
18    No pupil shall be required to take or participate in any
19class or course on AIDS or family life instruction or to
20receive training on how to properly administer cardiopulmonary
21resuscitation or how to use an automated external defibrillator
22if his or her parent or guardian submits written objection
23thereto, and refusal to take or participate in the course or
24program or the training shall not be reason for suspension or
25expulsion of the pupil.
26    Curricula developed under programs established in

 

 

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1accordance with this Act in the major educational area of
2alcohol and drug use and abuse shall include classroom
3instruction in grades 5 through 12. The instruction, which
4shall include matters relating to both the physical and legal
5effects and ramifications of drug and substance abuse, shall be
6integrated into existing curricula; and the State Board of
7Education shall develop and make available to all elementary
8and secondary schools in this State instructional materials and
9guidelines which will assist the schools in incorporating the
10instruction into their existing curricula. In addition, school
11districts may offer, as part of existing curricula during the
12school day or as part of an after school program, support
13services and instruction for pupils or pupils whose parent,
14parents, or guardians are chemically dependent.
15(Source: P.A. 97-1147, eff. 1-24-13; 98-190, eff. 8-6-13;
1698-441, eff. 1-1-14; 98-632, eff. 7-1-14; 98-756, eff.
177-16-14.)