101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2019 and 2020
HB4954

 

Introduced 2/18/2020, by Rep. La Shawn K. Ford

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
105 ILCS 5/24-2  from Ch. 122, par. 24-2
105 ILCS 5/27-21  from Ch. 122, par. 27-21

    Amends the School Code. Adds as commemorative holidays January 15 (to be known as Humanitarian Day and observed as a day of respect for the principles of human and civil rights and to involve the use of the color white as a visual affirmation to practice these principles), April 4 (to be known as Victims of Violence Wholly Day and observed as a day of respect for the principles of nonviolence and to involve the use of the color black as a visual affirmation to practice these principles), and August 28 (to be known as Dream Day and observed as a day of respect for the spiritual and moral principles of peoplehood and to involve the use of the colors black and white as a visual affirmation to practice these principles). Provides that the teaching of the history of the United States shall include the study of the American civil rights renaissance, that period of time from 1954 to 1965 called the Movement.


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FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY
STATE MANDATES ACT MAY REQUIRE REIMBURSEMENT

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

HB4954LRB101 18614 CMG 68069 b

1    AN ACT concerning education.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Sections
524-2 and 27-21 as follows:
 
6    (105 ILCS 5/24-2)  (from Ch. 122, par. 24-2)
7    Sec. 24-2. Holidays.
8    (a) Teachers shall not be required to teach on Saturdays,
9nor, except as provided in subsection (b) of this Section,
10shall teachers or other school employees, other than
11noncertificated school employees whose presence is necessary
12because of an emergency or for the continued operation and
13maintenance of school facilities or property, be required to
14work on legal school holidays, which are January 1, New Year's
15Day; the third Monday in January, the Birthday of Dr. Martin
16Luther King, Jr.; February 12, the Birthday of President
17Abraham Lincoln; the first Monday in March (to be known as
18Casimir Pulaski's birthday); Good Friday; the day designated as
19Memorial Day by federal law; July 4, Independence Day; the
20first Monday in September, Labor Day; the second Monday in
21October, Columbus Day; November 11, Veterans' Day; the Thursday
22in November commonly called Thanksgiving Day; and December 25,
23Christmas Day. School boards may grant special holidays

 

 

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1whenever in their judgment such action is advisable. No
2deduction shall be made from the time or compensation of a
3school employee on account of any legal or special holiday.
4    (b) A school board or other entity eligible to apply for
5waivers and modifications under Section 2-3.25g of this Code is
6authorized to hold school or schedule teachers' institutes,
7parent-teacher conferences, or staff development on the third
8Monday in January (the Birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King,
9Jr.); February 12 (the Birthday of President Abraham Lincoln);
10the first Monday in March (known as Casimir Pulaski's
11birthday); the second Monday in October (Columbus Day); and
12November 11 (Veterans' Day), provided that:
13        (1) the person or persons honored by the holiday are
14    recognized through instructional activities conducted on
15    that day or, if the day is not used for student attendance,
16    on the first school day preceding or following that day;
17    and
18        (2) the entity that chooses to exercise this authority
19    first holds a public hearing about the proposal. The entity
20    shall provide notice preceding the public hearing to both
21    educators and parents. The notice shall set forth the time,
22    date, and place of the hearing, describe the proposal, and
23    indicate that the entity will take testimony from educators
24    and parents about the proposal.
25    (c) Commemorative holidays, which recognize specified
26patriotic, civic, cultural or historical persons, activities,

 

 

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1or events, are regular school days. Commemorative holidays are:
2January 15 (to be known as Humanitarian Day and observed as a
3day of respect for the principles of human and civil rights and
4to involve the use of the color white as a visual affirmation
5to practice these principles), January 28 (to be known as
6Christa McAuliffe Day and observed as a commemoration of space
7exploration), February 15 (the birthday of Susan B. Anthony),
8March 29 (Viet Nam War Veterans' Day), April 4 (to be known as
9Victims of Violence Wholly Day and observed as a day of respect
10for the principles of nonviolence and to involve the use of the
11color black as a visual affirmation to practice these
12principles), August 28 (to be known as Dream Day and observed
13as a day of respect for the spiritual and moral principles of
14peoplehood and to involve the use of the colors black and white
15as a visual affirmation to practice these principles),
16September 11 (September 11th Day of Remembrance), the school
17day immediately preceding Veterans' Day (Korean War Veterans'
18Day), October 1 (Recycling Day), October 7 (Iraq and
19Afghanistan Veterans Remembrance Day), December 7 (Pearl
20Harbor Veterans' Day), and any day so appointed by the
21President or Governor. School boards may establish
22commemorative holidays whenever in their judgment such action
23is advisable. School boards shall include instruction relative
24to commemorated persons, activities, or events on the
25commemorative holiday or at any other time during the school
26year and at any point in the curriculum when such instruction

 

 

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1may be deemed appropriate. The State Board of Education shall
2prepare and make available to school boards instructional
3materials relative to commemorated persons, activities, or
4events which may be used by school boards in conjunction with
5any instruction provided pursuant to this paragraph.
6    (d) City of Chicago School District 299 shall observe March
74 of each year as a commemorative holiday. This holiday shall
8be known as Mayors' Day which shall be a day to commemorate and
9be reminded of the past Chief Executive Officers of the City of
10Chicago, and in particular the late Mayor Richard J. Daley and
11the late Mayor Harold Washington. If March 4 falls on a
12Saturday or Sunday, Mayors' Day shall be observed on the
13following Monday.
14(Source: P.A. 98-156, eff. 8-2-13.)
 
15    (105 ILCS 5/27-21)  (from Ch. 122, par. 27-21)
16    (Text of Section before amendment by P.A. 101-227)
17    Sec. 27-21. History of United States. History of the United
18States shall be taught in all public schools and in all other
19educational institutions in this State supported or
20maintained, in whole or in part, by public funds. The teaching
21of history shall have as one of its objectives the imparting to
22pupils of a comprehensive idea of our democratic form of
23government and the principles for which our government stands
24as regards other nations, including the studying of the place
25of our government in world-wide movements and the leaders

 

 

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1thereof, with particular stress upon the basic principles and
2ideals of our representative form of government. The teaching
3of history shall include a study of the role and contributions
4of African Americans and other ethnic groups, including, but
5not restricted to, Polish, Lithuanian, German, Hungarian,
6Irish, Bohemian, Russian, Albanian, Italian, Czech, Slovak,
7French, Scots, Hispanics, Asian Americans, etc., in the history
8of this country and this State. To reinforce the study of the
9role and contributions of Hispanics, such curriculum shall
10include the study of the events related to the forceful removal
11and illegal deportation of Mexican-American U.S. citizens
12during the Great Depression. The teaching of history shall
13include the study of the American civil rights renaissance,
14that period of time from 1954 to 1965 called the Movement. The
15teaching of history also shall include a study of the role of
16labor unions and their interaction with government in achieving
17the goals of a mixed free enterprise system. Beginning with the
182020-2021 school year, the teaching of history must also
19include instruction on the history of Illinois. No pupils shall
20be graduated from the eighth grade of any public school unless
21he has received such instruction in the history of the United
22States and gives evidence of having a comprehensive knowledge
23thereof.
24(Source: P.A. 101-341, eff. 1-1-20; revised 9-19-19.)
 
25    (Text of Section after amendment by P.A. 101-227)

 

 

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1    Sec. 27-21. History of United States. History of the United
2States shall be taught in all public schools and in all other
3educational institutions in this State supported or
4maintained, in whole or in part, by public funds. The teaching
5of history shall have as one of its objectives the imparting to
6pupils of a comprehensive idea of our democratic form of
7government and the principles for which our government stands
8as regards other nations, including the studying of the place
9of our government in world-wide movements and the leaders
10thereof, with particular stress upon the basic principles and
11ideals of our representative form of government. The teaching
12of history shall include a study of the role and contributions
13of African Americans and other ethnic groups, including, but
14not restricted to, Polish, Lithuanian, German, Hungarian,
15Irish, Bohemian, Russian, Albanian, Italian, Czech, Slovak,
16French, Scots, Hispanics, Asian Americans, etc., in the history
17of this country and this State. To reinforce the study of the
18role and contributions of Hispanics, such curriculum shall
19include the study of the events related to the forceful removal
20and illegal deportation of Mexican-American U.S. citizens
21during the Great Depression. The teaching of history shall
22include the study of the American civil rights renaissance,
23that period of time from 1954 to 1965 called the Movement. In
24public schools only, the teaching of history shall include a
25study of the roles and contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual,
26and transgender people in the history of this country and this

 

 

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1State. The teaching of history also shall include a study of
2the role of labor unions and their interaction with government
3in achieving the goals of a mixed free enterprise system.
4Beginning with the 2020-2021 school year, the teaching of
5history must also include instruction on the history of
6Illinois. No pupils shall be graduated from the eighth grade of
7any public school unless he or she has received such
8instruction in the history of the United States and gives
9evidence of having a comprehensive knowledge thereof.
10(Source: P.A. 101-227, eff. 7-1-20; 101-341, eff. 1-1-20;
11revised 9-19-19.)
 
12    Section 95. No acceleration or delay. Where this Act makes
13changes in a statute that is represented in this Act by text
14that is not yet or no longer in effect (for example, a Section
15represented by multiple versions), the use of that text does
16not accelerate or delay the taking effect of (i) the changes
17made by this Act or (ii) provisions derived from any other
18Public Act.