98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2013 and 2014
HB4775

 

Introduced , by Rep. Jay Hoffman

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
105 ILCS 5/10-22.6  from Ch. 122, par. 10-22.6

    Amends the School Code. Allows a school board to suspend or authorize the superintendent of the district or the principal, assistant principal, or dean of students of a school to suspend a student for a period not to exceed 10 school days or to expel a student for a definite period of time not to exceed 2 calendar years, as determined on a case-by-case basis, if the student has been charged with a violent felony and the charges are pending or if the student has been convicted of a violent felony. Defines "violent felony". Effective immediately.


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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 5. The School Code is amended by changing Section
510-22.6 as follows:
 
6    (105 ILCS 5/10-22.6)  (from Ch. 122, par. 10-22.6)
7    Sec. 10-22.6. Suspension or expulsion of pupils; school
8searches.
9    (a) To expel pupils guilty of gross disobedience or
10misconduct, including gross disobedience or misconduct
11perpetuated by electronic means, and no action shall lie
12against them for such expulsion. Expulsion shall take place
13only after the parents have been requested to appear at a
14meeting of the board, or with a hearing officer appointed by
15it, to discuss their child's behavior. Such request shall be
16made by registered or certified mail and shall state the time,
17place and purpose of the meeting. The board, or a hearing
18officer appointed by it, at such meeting shall state the
19reasons for dismissal and the date on which the expulsion is to
20become effective. If a hearing officer is appointed by the
21board he shall report to the board a written summary of the
22evidence heard at the meeting and the board may take such
23action thereon as it finds appropriate. An expelled pupil may

 

 

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1be immediately transferred to an alternative program in the
2manner provided in Article 13A or 13B of this Code. A pupil
3must not be denied transfer because of the expulsion, except in
4cases in which such transfer is deemed to cause a threat to the
5safety of students or staff in the alternative program.
6    (b) To suspend or by policy to authorize the superintendent
7of the district or the principal, assistant principal, or dean
8of students of any school to suspend pupils guilty of gross
9disobedience or misconduct, or to suspend pupils guilty of
10gross disobedience or misconduct on the school bus from riding
11the school bus, and no action shall lie against them for such
12suspension. The board may by policy authorize the
13superintendent of the district or the principal, assistant
14principal, or dean of students of any school to suspend pupils
15guilty of such acts for a period not to exceed 10 school days.
16If a pupil is suspended due to gross disobedience or misconduct
17on a school bus, the board may suspend the pupil in excess of
1810 school days for safety reasons. Any suspension shall be
19reported immediately to the parents or guardian of such pupil
20along with a full statement of the reasons for such suspension
21and a notice of their right to a review. The school board must
22be given a summary of the notice, including the reason for the
23suspension and the suspension length. Upon request of the
24parents or guardian the school board or a hearing officer
25appointed by it shall review such action of the superintendent
26or principal, assistant principal, or dean of students. At such

 

 

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1review the parents or guardian of the pupil may appear and
2discuss the suspension with the board or its hearing officer.
3If a hearing officer is appointed by the board he shall report
4to the board a written summary of the evidence heard at the
5meeting. After its hearing or upon receipt of the written
6report of its hearing officer, the board may take such action
7as it finds appropriate. A pupil who is suspended in excess of
820 school days may be immediately transferred to an alternative
9program in the manner provided in Article 13A or 13B of this
10Code. A pupil must not be denied transfer because of the
11suspension, except in cases in which such transfer is deemed to
12cause a threat to the safety of students or staff in the
13alternative program.
14    (c) The Department of Human Services shall be invited to
15send a representative to consult with the board at such meeting
16whenever there is evidence that mental illness may be the cause
17for expulsion or suspension.
18    (d) The board may expel a student for a definite period of
19time not to exceed 2 calendar years, as determined on a
20case-by-case case by case basis. A student who is determined to
21have brought one of the following objects to school, any
22school-sponsored activity or event, or any activity or event
23that bears a reasonable relationship to school shall be
24expelled for a period of not less than one year:
25        (1) A firearm. For the purposes of this Section,
26    "firearm" means any gun, rifle, shotgun, weapon as defined

 

 

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1    by Section 921 of Title 18 of the United States Code,
2    firearm as defined in Section 1.1 of the Firearm Owners
3    Identification Card Act, or firearm as defined in Section
4    24-1 of the Criminal Code of 2012. The expulsion period
5    under this subdivision (1) may be modified by the
6    superintendent, and the superintendent's determination may
7    be modified by the board on a case-by-case basis.
8        (2) A knife, brass knuckles or other knuckle weapon
9    regardless of its composition, a billy club, or any other
10    object if used or attempted to be used to cause bodily
11    harm, including "look alikes" of any firearm as defined in
12    subdivision (1) of this subsection (d). The expulsion
13    requirement under this subdivision (2) may be modified by
14    the superintendent, and the superintendent's determination
15    may be modified by the board on a case-by-case basis.
16Expulsion or suspension shall be construed in a manner
17consistent with the Federal Individuals with Disabilities
18Education Act. A student who is subject to suspension or
19expulsion as provided in this Section may be eligible for a
20transfer to an alternative school program in accordance with
21Article 13A of the School Code. The provisions of this
22subsection (d) apply in all school districts, including special
23charter districts and districts organized under Article 34.
24    (d-5) The board may suspend or by regulation authorize the
25superintendent of the district or the principal, assistant
26principal, or dean of students of any school to suspend a

 

 

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1student for a period not to exceed 10 school days or may expel
2a student for a definite period of time not to exceed 2
3calendar years, as determined on a case-by-case case by case
4basis, if (i) that student has been determined to have made an
5explicit threat on an Internet website against a school
6employee, a student, or any school-related personnel, (ii) the
7Internet website through which the threat was made is a site
8that was accessible within the school at the time the threat
9was made or was available to third parties who worked or
10studied within the school grounds at the time the threat was
11made, and (iii) the threat could be reasonably interpreted as
12threatening to the safety and security of the threatened
13individual because of his or her duties or employment status or
14status as a student inside the school. The provisions of this
15subsection (d-5) apply in all school districts, including
16special charter districts and districts organized under
17Article 34 of this Code.
18    (d-10) In this subsection (d-10), "violent felony" means a
19violent felony as defined in Section 5 of the Medical School
20Matriculant Criminal History Records Check Act. The board may
21suspend or, by regulation, authorize the superintendent of the
22district or the principal, assistant principal, or dean of
23students of a school to suspend a student for a period not to
24exceed 10 school days or may expel a student for a definite
25period of time not to exceed 2 calendar years, as determined on
26a case-by-case basis, if the student has been charged with a

 

 

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1violent felony and the charges are pending or if the student
2has been convicted of a violent felony. The provisions of this
3subsection (d-10) apply in all school districts, including
4special charter districts and districts organized under
5Article 34 of this Code.
6    (e) To maintain order and security in the schools, school
7authorities may inspect and search places and areas such as
8lockers, desks, parking lots, and other school property and
9equipment owned or controlled by the school, as well as
10personal effects left in those places and areas by students,
11without notice to or the consent of the student, and without a
12search warrant. As a matter of public policy, the General
13Assembly finds that students have no reasonable expectation of
14privacy in these places and areas or in their personal effects
15left in these places and areas. School authorities may request
16the assistance of law enforcement officials for the purpose of
17conducting inspections and searches of lockers, desks, parking
18lots, and other school property and equipment owned or
19controlled by the school for illegal drugs, weapons, or other
20illegal or dangerous substances or materials, including
21searches conducted through the use of specially trained dogs.
22If a search conducted in accordance with this Section produces
23evidence that the student has violated or is violating either
24the law, local ordinance, or the school's policies or rules,
25such evidence may be seized by school authorities, and
26disciplinary action may be taken. School authorities may also

 

 

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1turn over such evidence to law enforcement authorities. The
2provisions of this subsection (e) apply in all school
3districts, including special charter districts and districts
4organized under Article 34.
5    (f) Suspension or expulsion may include suspension or
6expulsion from school and all school activities and a
7prohibition from being present on school grounds.
8    (g) A school district may adopt a policy providing that if
9a student is suspended or expelled for any reason from any
10public or private school in this or any other state, the
11student must complete the entire term of the suspension or
12expulsion in an alternative school program under Article 13A of
13this Code or an alternative learning opportunities program
14under Article 13B of this Code before being admitted into the
15school district if there is no threat to the safety of students
16or staff in the alternative program. This subsection (g)
17applies to all school districts, including special charter
18districts and districts organized under Article 34 of this
19Code.
20(Source: P.A. 96-633, eff. 8-24-09; 96-998, eff. 7-2-10;
2197-340, eff. 1-1-12; 97-495, eff. 1-1-12; 97-813, eff. 7-13-12;
2297-1150, eff. 1-25-13.)
 
23    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
24becoming law.