SB1642 EngrossedLRB101 10198 AXK 55302 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 Section
527-24.2 as follows:
 
6    (105 ILCS 5/27-24.2)  (from Ch. 122, par. 27-24.2)
7    Sec. 27-24.2. Safety education; driver education course.
8Instruction shall be given in safety education in each of
9grades one through 8, equivalent to one class period each week,
10and any school district which maintains grades 9 through 12
11shall offer a driver education course in any such school which
12it operates. Its curriculum shall include content dealing with
13Chapters 11, 12, 13, 15, and 16 of the Illinois Vehicle Code,
14the rules adopted pursuant to those Chapters insofar as they
15pertain to the operation of motor vehicles, and the portions of
16the Litter Control Act relating to the operation of motor
17vehicles. The course of instruction given in grades 10 through
1812 shall include an emphasis on the development of knowledge,
19attitudes, habits, and skills necessary for the safe operation
20of motor vehicles, including motorcycles insofar as they can be
21taught in the classroom, and instruction on distracted driving
22as a major traffic safety issue. In addition, the course shall
23include instruction on special hazards existing at and required

 

 

SB1642 Engrossed- 2 -LRB101 10198 AXK 55302 b

1safety and driving precautions that must be observed at
2emergency situations, highway construction and maintenance
3zones, and railroad crossings and the approaches thereto.
4Beginning with the 2017-2018 school year, the course shall also
5include instruction concerning law enforcement procedures for
6traffic stops, including a demonstration of the proper actions
7to be taken during a traffic stop and appropriate interactions
8with law enforcement. Beginning with the 2020-2021 school year,
9the course shall also include instruction on bicycle and
10pedestrian safety, which must include, but is not limited to,
11instruction on how to safely pass a cyclist on the road,
12special considerations while driving in urban areas and near
13bicycle lanes, how to navigate an intersection with pedestrians
14and cyclists, exiting a vehicle without endangering
15pedestrians and cyclists, and the requirement that drivers
16exercise due care to avoid collision with a bicyclist or
17pedestrian on the road. The course of instruction required of
18each eligible student at the high school level shall consist of
19a minimum of 30 clock hours of classroom instruction and a
20minimum of 6 clock hours of individual behind-the-wheel
21instruction in a dual control car on public roadways taught by
22a driver education instructor endorsed by the State Board of
23Education. Both the classroom instruction part and the practice
24driving part of such driver education course shall be open to a
25resident or non-resident student attending a non-public school
26in the district wherein the course is offered. Each student

 

 

SB1642 Engrossed- 3 -LRB101 10198 AXK 55302 b

1attending any public or non-public high school in the district
2must receive a passing grade in at least 8 courses during the
3previous 2 semesters prior to enrolling in a driver education
4course, or the student shall not be permitted to enroll in the
5course; provided that the local superintendent of schools (with
6respect to a student attending a public high school in the
7district) or chief school administrator (with respect to a
8student attending a non-public high school in the district) may
9waive the requirement if the superintendent or chief school
10administrator, as the case may be, deems it to be in the best
11interest of the student. A student may be allowed to commence
12the classroom instruction part of such driver education course
13prior to reaching age 15 if such student then will be eligible
14to complete the entire course within 12 months after being
15allowed to commence such classroom instruction.
16    A school district may offer a driver education course in a
17school by contracting with a commercial driver training school
18to provide both the classroom instruction part and the practice
19driving part or either one without having to request a
20modification or waiver of administrative rules of the State
21Board of Education if the school district approves the action
22during a public hearing on whether to enter into a contract
23with a commercial driver training school. The public hearing
24shall be held at a regular or special school board meeting
25prior to entering into such a contract. If a school district
26chooses to approve a contract with a commercial driver training

 

 

SB1642 Engrossed- 4 -LRB101 10198 AXK 55302 b

1school, then the district must provide evidence to the State
2Board of Education that the commercial driver training school
3with which it will contract holds a license issued by the
4Secretary of State under Article IV of Chapter 6 of the
5Illinois Vehicle Code and that each instructor employed by the
6commercial driver training school to provide instruction to
7students served by the school district holds a valid teaching
8license issued under the requirements of this Code and rules of
9the State Board of Education. Such evidence must include, but
10need not be limited to, a list of each instructor assigned to
11teach students served by the school district, which list shall
12include the instructor's name, personal identification number
13as required by the State Board of Education, birth date, and
14driver's license number. Once the contract is entered into, the
15school district shall notify the State Board of Education of
16any changes in the personnel providing instruction either (i)
17within 15 calendar days after an instructor leaves the program
18or (ii) before a new instructor is hired. Such notification
19shall include the instructor's name, personal identification
20number as required by the State Board of Education, birth date,
21and driver's license number. If the school district maintains
22an Internet website, then the district shall post a copy of the
23final contract between the district and the commercial driver
24training school on the district's Internet website. If no
25Internet website exists, then the school district shall make
26available the contract upon request. A record of all materials

 

 

SB1642 Engrossed- 5 -LRB101 10198 AXK 55302 b

1in relation to the contract must be maintained by the school
2district and made available to parents and guardians upon
3request. The instructor's date of birth and driver's license
4number and any other personally identifying information as
5deemed by the federal Driver's Privacy Protection Act of 1994
6must be redacted from any public materials.
7    Such a course may be commenced immediately after the
8completion of a prior course. Teachers of such courses shall
9meet the licensure requirements of this Code and regulations of
10the State Board as to qualifications.
11    Subject to rules of the State Board of Education, the
12school district may charge a reasonable fee, not to exceed $50,
13to students who participate in the course, unless a student is
14unable to pay for such a course, in which event the fee for
15such a student must be waived. However, the district may
16increase this fee to an amount not to exceed $250 by school
17board resolution following a public hearing on the increase,
18which increased fee must be waived for students who participate
19in the course and are unable to pay for the course. The total
20amount from driver education fees and reimbursement from the
21State for driver education must not exceed the total cost of
22the driver education program in any year and must be deposited
23into the school district's driver education fund as a separate
24line item budget entry. All moneys deposited into the school
25district's driver education fund must be used solely for the
26funding of a high school driver education program approved by

 

 

SB1642 Engrossed- 6 -LRB101 10198 AXK 55302 b

1the State Board of Education that uses driver education
2instructors endorsed by the State Board of Education.
3(Source: P.A. 99-642, eff. 7-28-16; 99-720, eff. 1-1-17;
4100-465, eff. 8-31-17.)
 
5    Section 10. The Illinois Vehicle Code is amended by
6changing Section 2-112 as follows:
 
7    (625 ILCS 5/2-112)  (from Ch. 95 1/2, par. 2-112)
8    Sec. 2-112. Distribution of synopsis laws.
9    (a) The Secretary of State may publish a synopsis or
10summary of the laws of this State regulating the operation of
11vehicles and may deliver a copy thereof without charge with
12each original vehicle registration and with each original
13driver's license.
14    (b) The Secretary of State shall make any necessary
15revisions in its publications including, but not limited to,
16the Illinois Rules of the Road, to accurately conform its
17publications to the provisions of the Pedestrians with
18Disabilities Safety Act.
19    (c) The Secretary of State shall include, in the Illinois
20Rules of the Road publication, information advising drivers to
21use the Dutch Reach method when opening a vehicle door after
22parallel parking on a street (checking the rear-view mirror,
23checking the side-view mirror, then opening the door with the
24right hand, thereby reducing the risk of injuring a bicyclist

 

 

SB1642 Engrossed- 7 -LRB101 10198 AXK 55302 b

1or opening the door in the path a vehicle approaching from
2behind).
3    (d) For the purpose of educating prospective licensees on
4the potential dangers caused by motor vehicles to pedestrians,
5bicyclists, in-line skaters, scooter riders, skateboarders,
6and other non-motorized vehicles, the Secretary of State shall
7include, in the Illinois Rules of the Road publication,
8information on bicycle and pedestrian safety, which must
9include, but is not limited to, instruction on how to safely
10pass a cyclist on the road, special considerations while
11driving in urban areas and near bicycle lanes, how to navigate
12an intersection with pedestrians and cyclists, exiting a
13vehicle without endangering pedestrians and cyclists, and the
14requirement that drivers exercise due care to avoid collision
15with a bicyclist or pedestrian on the road.
16(Source: P.A. 100-770, eff. 1-1-19; 100-962, eff. 1-1-19.)