103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024
HB1246

 

Introduced 1/31/2023, by Rep. Steven Reick

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
105 ILCS 5/10-20.85 new
105 ILCS 5/34-18.82 new

    Amends the School Code. By July 15 of each year, requires certain school boards to report, on their school district's website, a list of the learning materials and activities used for student instruction during the previous school year. Requires that the report also include any procedures that are in effect at each school for the documentation, review, or approval of the learning materials and activities used for student instruction. Specifies the minimum information that must be included in the report. Allows a school district to update the report on an ongoing basis and to utilize collaborative online document or spreadsheet software to update or make additions to the report. Sets forth other requirements. Effective July 1, 2023.


LRB103 04766 RJT 49775 b

STATE MANDATES ACT MAY REQUIRE REIMBURSEMENT
MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

HB1246LRB103 04766 RJT 49775 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 1. This Act may be referred to as the School
5Materials and Activities Report for Transparency Law.
 
6    Section 5. The School Code is amended by adding Sections
710-20.85 and 34-18.82 as follows:
 
8    (105 ILCS 5/10-20.85 new)
9    Sec. 10-20.85. Learning materials and activities report.
10    (a) In this Section:
11    "Activities" includes, but is not limited to, student
12assemblies, guest lectures, educational events facilitated by
13a school's administration or staff, or educational events
14conducted by outside individuals or organizations.
15"Activities" does not include student presentations.
16    "Learning materials" includes, but is not limited to, any
17of the following:
18        (1) Instructional material that consists of content
19    that conveys to a student through a medium or a
20    combination of media the essential knowledge, information,
21    and skills pertaining to a subject included in a public
22    school curriculum. In this paragraph (1), "instructional

 

 

HB1246- 2 -LRB103 04766 RJT 49775 b

1    material" includes a book or books; workbooks;
2    supplementary materials; a combination of a book or books,
3    workbooks, and supplementary materials; computer software,
4    magnetic media, DVDs, CD-ROMs, computer courseware, online
5    services, or an electronic medium; or other means of
6    conveying information to a student or otherwise
7    contributing to the learning process through electronic
8    means, including through open education resource
9    instructional material as described in paragraph (2) of
10    this definition.
11        (2) Open education resource instructional material
12    that consists of teaching, learning, and research
13    resources that reside in the public domain or have been
14    released under an intellectual property license and allows
15    for the free use, reuse, modification, and sharing of
16    resources with others. In this paragraph (2), "open
17    education resource instructional material" includes full
18    courses, course materials, modules, textbooks, streaming
19    videos, tests or exams, software, or any other tools,
20    materials, or techniques used to support access to
21    knowledge and also includes State-developed open education
22    resource instructional material.
23        (3) Teaching aids.
24        (4) Any other material for student instruction in
25    which a student has the option to select the material.
26    "Used for student instruction" means assigned, provided,

 

 

HB1246- 3 -LRB103 04766 RJT 49775 b

1or otherwise presented to a school's students in (i) any
2course for which students receive academic credit or (ii) any
3educational capacity in which participation of the student
4body is required by the school or in which a majority of the
5students in a particular grade level participate.
6    (b) By July 15 of each year, the school board of each
7school district with 300 or more students enrolled during the
8previous school year shall report for each of the district's
9schools the following information in a prominent location on
10the district's website:
11        (1) A list of the learning materials and activities
12    that were used for student instruction during the previous
13    school year. The list of learning materials and activities
14    shall be organized, at a minimum, by grade level and
15    subject area.
16        (2) Any procedures that are in effect at each school
17    for the documentation, review, or approval by the school's
18    administrators, principal, or teachers of the learning
19    materials and activities used for student instruction.
20    (c) Under this Section, a school board is required to
21report only the information that is necessary to identify the
22specific learning materials and activities used for student
23instruction at each school. The information reported must
24include the title and the author, the name of the
25organization, or the Internet address, as appropriate,
26associated with each of the learning materials or activities.

 

 

HB1246- 4 -LRB103 04766 RJT 49775 b

1Nothing in this Section may be construed to require either of
2the following:
3        (1) The publication of a digital reproduction of
4    learning materials on a school district's website.
5        (2) A separate listing of the individual components of
6    learning materials produced as a single volume; however,
7    if the volume contains works by multiple authors, the
8    listing shall provide either a table of contents or an
9    Internet address that discloses the discrete works and
10    authors contained within the volume.
11    (d) By May 1 of each year, the State Board of Education
12shall notify a school district whether the school district is
13required to comply with this Section.
14    (e) Under this Section, a school district may, but is not
15required to:
16        (1) update the report and post the updated report on
17    the district's website on an ongoing basis during the
18    school year, provided that the updated report is completed
19    by July 1 following the completion of the school year; and
20        (2) utilize collaborative online document or
21    spreadsheet software that allows multiple authorized users
22    to update or make additions to the report on an ongoing
23    basis, provided that a link to the report is publicly
24    accessible on the district's website.
25    (f) Each school year's report under this Section shall
26remain publicly available on the school district's website at

 

 

HB1246- 5 -LRB103 04766 RJT 49775 b

1least until the report for the following school year is
2completed and made publicly available on the district's
3website.
 
4    (105 ILCS 5/34-18.82 new)
5    Sec. 34-18.82. Learning materials and activities report.
6    (a) In this Section:
7    "Activities" includes, but is not limited to, student
8assemblies, guest lectures, educational events facilitated by
9a school's administration or staff, or educational events
10conducted by outside individuals or organizations.
11"Activities" does not include student presentations.
12    "Learning materials" includes, but is not limited to, any
13of the following:
14        (1) Instructional material that consists of content
15    that conveys to a student through a medium or a
16    combination of media the essential knowledge, information,
17    and skills pertaining to a subject included in a public
18    school curriculum. In this paragraph (1), "instructional
19    material" includes a book or books; workbooks;
20    supplementary materials; a combination of a book or books,
21    workbooks, and supplementary materials; computer software,
22    magnetic media, DVDs, CD-ROMs, computer courseware, online
23    services, or an electronic medium; or other means of
24    conveying information to a student or otherwise
25    contributing to the learning process through electronic

 

 

HB1246- 6 -LRB103 04766 RJT 49775 b

1    means, including through open education resource
2    instructional material as described in paragraph (2) of
3    this definition.
4        (2) Open education resource instructional material
5    that consists of teaching, learning, and research
6    resources that reside in the public domain or have been
7    released under an intellectual property license and allows
8    for the free use, reuse, modification, and sharing of
9    resources with others. In this paragraph (2), "open
10    education resource instructional material" includes full
11    courses, course materials, modules, textbooks, streaming
12    videos, tests or exams, software, or any other tools,
13    materials, or techniques used to support access to
14    knowledge and also includes State-developed open education
15    resource instructional material.
16        (3) Teaching aids.
17        (4) Any other material for student instruction in
18    which a student has the option to select the material.
19    "Used for student instruction" means assigned, provided,
20or otherwise presented to a school's students in (i) any
21course for which students receive academic credit or (ii) any
22educational capacity in which participation of the student
23body is required by the school or in which a majority of the
24students in a particular grade level participate.
25    (b) By July 15 of each year, the board shall report for
26each of the school district's schools the following

 

 

HB1246- 7 -LRB103 04766 RJT 49775 b

1information in a prominent location on the district's website:
2        (1) A list of the learning materials and activities
3    that were used for student instruction during the previous
4    school year. The list of learning materials and activities
5    shall be organized, at a minimum, by grade level and
6    subject area.
7        (2) Any procedures that are in effect at each school
8    for the documentation, review, or approval by each
9    school's administrators, principal, or teachers of the
10    learning materials and activities used for student
11    instruction.
12    (c) Under this Section, the board is required to report
13only the information that is necessary to identify the
14specific learning materials and activities used for student
15instruction at each school. The information reported must
16include the title and the author, the name of the
17organization, or the Internet address, as appropriate,
18associated with each of the learning materials or activities.
19Nothing in this Section may be construed to require either of
20the following:
21        (1) The publication of a digital reproduction of
22    learning materials on the school district's website.
23        (2) A separate listing of the individual components of
24    learning materials produced as a single volume; however,
25    if the volume contains works by multiple authors, the
26    listing shall provide either a table of contents or an

 

 

HB1246- 8 -LRB103 04766 RJT 49775 b

1    Internet address that discloses the discrete works and
2    authors contained within the volume.
3    (d) Under this Section, the school district may, but is
4not required to:
5        (1) update the report and post the updated report on
6    the district's website on an ongoing basis during the
7    school year, provided that the updated report is completed
8    by July 1 following the completion of the school year; and
9        (2) utilize collaborative online document or
10    spreadsheet software that allows multiple authorized users
11    to update or make additions to the report on an ongoing
12    basis, provided that a link to the report is publicly
13    accessible on the district's website.
14    (e) Each school year's report under this Section shall
15remain publicly available on the school district's website at
16least until the report for the following school year is
17completed and made publicly available on the district's
18website.
 
19    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1,
202023.