101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2019 and 2020
HB0218

 

Introduced , by Rep. Mary E. Flowers

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
105 ILCS 5/10-20.13  from Ch. 122, par. 10-20.13
105 ILCS 5/10-22.33A  from Ch. 122, par. 10-22.33A
105 ILCS 5/34-18.27
105 ILCS 5/34-18.27a new
105 ILCS 5/34-21.6  from Ch. 122, par. 34-21.6

    Amends the School Code. Provides for the waiver of tuition assessed by a school district on children whose parents are unable to afford them. With respect to summer school, provides that a school board must (instead of may) waive all or part of summer school charges if it determines that the family of a pupil is indigent or the educational needs of the pupil require his or her attendance. Amends the Chicago School District Article to provide that the summer kindergarten provisions are subject to the waiver of fees and tuition provisions. Requires the Chicago Board of Education, during that period of the calendar year not embraced within the regular school term, to provide and conduct courses in subject matters normally embraced in the program of the schools during the regular school term, fix and collect a charge for attendance at such courses in an amount not to exceed the per capita cost of the operation thereof, except that the board must waive all or part of such charges if it determines that the family of an individual pupil is indigent or that the educational needs of the pupil require his or her attendance at such courses, and give regular school credit for satisfactory completion by the student of such courses as may be approved for credit by the State Board of Education.


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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    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 1. Legislative findings. The General Assembly
5finds that:
6        (1) Section 1 of Article X of the Constitution of the
7    State of Illinois provides that a fundamental goal of the
8    People of the State of Illinois is the educational
9    development of all person to the limits of their capacity.
10        (2) Section 1 of Article X also requires the State to
11    provide free public education through the secondary level.
12        (3) If a student must attend school over the summer for
13    his or her educational development, the schooling should be
14    provided free of charge pursuant to the Constitution of the
15    State of Illinois.
 
16    Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Sections
1710-20.13, 10-22.33A, 34-18.27, and 34-21.6 and by adding
18Section 34-18.27a as follows:
 
19    (105 ILCS 5/10-20.13)  (from Ch. 122, par. 10-20.13)
20    Sec. 10-20.13. Textbooks for children of parents unable to
21buy them and other fees and tuition.
22    (a) To purchase, at the expense of the district, a

 

 

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1sufficient number of textbooks for children whose parents are
2unable to buy them, including but not limited to children
3living in households that meet the free lunch or breakfast
4eligibility guidelines established by the federal government
5pursuant to Section 1758 of the federal Richard B. Russell
6National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1758; 7 C.F.R. 245 et
7seq.), subject to verification as set forth in subsection (c)
8of this Section. Such textbooks shall be loaned only, and the
9directors shall require the teacher to see that they are
10properly cared for and returned at the end of each term of
11school.
12    (b) To waive all fees and tuition assessed by the district
13on children whose parents are unable to afford them, including
14but not limited to children living in households that meet the
15free lunch or breakfast eligibility guidelines established by
16the federal government pursuant to Section 1758 of the federal
17Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1758; 7
18C.F.R. 245 et seq.), subject to verification as set forth in
19subsection (c) of this Section. The school board shall adopt
20written policies and procedures for such waiver of fees and
21tuition in accordance with regulations promulgated by the State
22Board of Education.
23    (c) Any school board that participates in a federally
24funded, school-based child nutrition program and uses a
25student's application for, eligibility for, or participation
26in the federally funded, school-based child nutrition program

 

 

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1(42 U.S.C. 1758; 7 C.F.R. 245 et seq.) as the basis for waiving
2fees and tuition assessed by the school district must follow
3the verification requirements of the federally funded,
4school-based child nutrition program (42 U.S.C. 1758; 7 C.F.R.
5245.6a).
6    A school board that establishes a process for the
7determination of eligibility for waiver of fees and tuition
8assessed by the school district that is completely independent
9of a student's application for, eligibility for, or
10participation in a federally funded, school-based child
11nutrition program may provide for fee and tuition waiver
12verification no more often than every 60 calendar days.
13Information obtained during the independent, fee and tuition
14waiver verification process indicating that the student does
15not meet free lunch or breakfast eligibility guidelines may be
16used to deny the waiver of the student's fees and tuition,
17provided that any information obtained through this
18independent process for determining or verifying eligibility
19for fee and tuition waivers shall not be used to determine or
20verify eligibility for any federally funded, school-based
21child nutrition program.
22(Source: P.A. 96-360, eff. 9-1-09.)
 
23    (105 ILCS 5/10-22.33A)  (from Ch. 122, par. 10-22.33A)
24    Sec. 10-22.33A. Summer school. During that period of the
25calendar year not embraced within the regular school term to

 

 

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1provide and conduct courses in subject matters normally
2embraced in the program of the schools during the regular
3school term, to fix and collect a charge for attendance at such
4courses in an amount not to exceed the per capita cost of the
5operation thereof, except that the board must may waive all or
6part of such charges if it determines that the family of an
7individual pupil is indigent or that the educational needs of
8the pupil require his attendance at such courses, and to give
9regular school credit for satisfactory completion by the
10student of such courses as may be approved for credit by the
11State Board of Education.
12(Source: P.A. 81-1508.)
 
13    (105 ILCS 5/34-18.27)
14    Sec. 34-18.27. Summer kindergarten. The board may
15establish, maintain, and operate, in connection with the
16kindergarten program of the school district, a summer
17kindergarten program that begins 2 months before the beginning
18of the regular school year and a summer kindergarten program
19for grade one readiness for those pupils making unsatisfactory
20progress during the regular kindergarten session that will
21continue for 2 months after the regular school year. The summer
22kindergarten program may be held within the school district or,
23pursuant to a contract that must be approved by the State Board
24of Education, may be operated by 2 or more adjacent school
25districts or by a public or private university or college.

 

 

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1Transportation for students attending the summer kindergarten
2program shall be the responsibility of the school district. The
3expense of establishing, maintaining, and operating the summer
4kindergarten program may be paid from funds contributed or
5otherwise made available to the school district for that
6purpose by federal or State appropriation. The provisions of
7this Section are subject to Section 34-21.6 of this Code.
8(Source: P.A. 95-331, eff. 8-21-07.)
 
9    (105 ILCS 5/34-18.27a new)
10    Sec. 34-18.27a. Summer school. During that period of the
11calendar year not embraced within the regular school term, the
12board shall provide and conduct courses in subject matters
13normally embraced in the program of the schools during the
14regular school term, fix and collect a charge for attendance at
15such courses in an amount not to exceed the per capita cost of
16the operation thereof, except that the board must waive all or
17part of such charges if it determines that the family of an
18individual pupil is indigent or that the educational needs of
19the pupil require his or her attendance at such courses, and
20give regular school credit for satisfactory completion by the
21student of such courses as may be approved for credit by the
22State Board of Education.
 
23    (105 ILCS 5/34-21.6)  (from Ch. 122, par. 34-21.6)
24    Sec. 34-21.6. Waiver of fees and tuition.

 

 

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1    (a) The board shall waive all fees and tuition assessed by
2the district on children whose parents are unable to afford
3them, including but not limited to children living in
4households that meet the free lunch or breakfast eligibility
5guidelines established by the federal government pursuant to
6Section 1758 of the federal Richard B. Russell National School
7Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1758; 7 C.F.R. 245 et seq.), subject to
8verification as set forth in subsection (b) of this Section.
9The board shall develop written policies and procedures
10implementing this Section in accordance with regulations
11promulgated by the State Board of Education.
12    (b) If the board participates in a federally funded,
13school-based child nutrition program and uses a student's
14application for, eligibility for, or participation in the
15federally funded, school-based child nutrition program (42
16U.S.C. 1758; 7 C.F.R. 245 et seq.) as the basis for waiving
17fees and tuition assessed by the district, then the board must
18follow the verification requirements of the federally funded,
19school-based child nutrition program (42 U.S.C. 1758; 7 C.F.R.
20245.6a).
21    If the board establishes a process for the determination of
22eligibility for waiver of fees and tuition assessed by the
23district that is completely independent of a student's
24application for, eligibility for, or participation in a
25federally funded, school-based child nutrition program, the
26board may provide for fee and tuition waiver verification no

 

 

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1more often than every 60 calendar days. Information obtained
2during the independent, fee and tuition waiver verification
3process indicating that the student does not meet free lunch or
4breakfast eligibility guidelines may be used to deny the waiver
5of the student's fees and tuition, provided that any
6information obtained through this independent process for
7determining or verifying eligibility for fee and tuition
8waivers shall not be used to determine or verify eligibility
9for any federally funded, school-based child nutrition
10program.
11(Source: P.A. 96-360, eff. 9-1-09.)