Illinois General Assembly - Full Text of HB4577
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Full Text of HB4577  103rd General Assembly

HB4577ham001 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Rep. Joyce Mason

Filed: 4/12/2024

 

 


 

 


 
10300HB4577ham001LRB103 38876 RJT 72228 a

1
AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 4577

2    AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 4577 by replacing
3everything after the enacting clause with the following:
 
4    "Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing
5Sections 10-20.9a, 10-20.13, 27A-5, and 34-21.6 as follows:
 
6    (105 ILCS 5/10-20.9a)  (from Ch. 122, par. 10-20.9a)
7    Sec. 10-20.9a. Final grade; promotion.
8    (a) Teachers shall administer the approved marking system
9or other approved means of evaluating pupil progress. The
10teacher shall maintain the responsibility and right to
11determine grades and other evaluations of students within the
12grading policies of the district based upon his or her
13professional judgment of available criteria pertinent to any
14given subject area or activity for which he or she is
15responsible. District policy shall provide the procedure and
16reasons by and for which a grade may be changed; provided that

 

 

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1no grade or evaluation shall be changed without notification
2to the teacher concerning the nature and reasons for such
3change. If such a change is made, the person making the change
4shall assume such responsibility for determining the grade or
5evaluation, and shall initial such change.
6    (b) School districts shall not promote students to the
7next higher grade level based upon age or any other social
8reasons not related to the academic performance of the
9students. On or before September 1, 1998, school boards shall
10adopt and enforce a policy on promotion as they deem necessary
11to ensure that students meet local goals and objectives and
12can perform at the expected grade level prior to promotion.
13Decisions to promote or retain students in any classes shall
14be based on successful completion of the curriculum,
15attendance, performance based on the assessments required
16under Section 2-3.64a-5 of this Code, the Iowa Test of Basic
17Skills, or other testing or any other criteria established by
18the school board. Students determined by the local district to
19not qualify for promotion to the next higher grade shall be
20provided remedial assistance, which may include, but shall not
21be limited to, a summer bridge program of no less than 90
22hours, tutorial sessions, increased or concentrated
23instructional time, modifications to instructional materials,
24and retention in grade.
25    (c) (Blank). No public high school of a school district
26shall withhold a student's grades, transcripts, or diploma

 

 

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1because of an unpaid balance on the student's school account.
2    At the end of each school year, the school district shall
3catalogue and report to the State Board of Education the total
4amount that remains unpaid by students due to the prohibition
5under this subsection (c).
6    (d) (Blank). On and after 3 years from the effective date
7of this amendatory Act of the 102nd General Assembly,
8subsection (c) is inoperative.
9(Source: P.A. 102-727, eff. 5-6-22.)
 
10    (105 ILCS 5/10-20.13)
11    Sec. 10-20.13. Textbooks and instructional materials for
12children of parents unable to buy them; waiver of fees and
13fines; discrimination and punishment prohibited.
14    (a) To purchase, at the expense of the district, a
15sufficient number of textbooks and instructional materials for
16children whose parents are unable to buy them, including, but
17not limited to, children living in households that meet the
18free lunch or breakfast eligibility guidelines established by
19the federal government pursuant to Section 1758 of the federal
20Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1758;
217 CFR 245 et seq.) and homeless children and youth as defined
22in Section 11434a of the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless
23Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11434a), subject to verification as
24set forth in subsection (c) of this Section. Such textbooks
25shall be loaned only, and the directors shall require the

 

 

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1teacher to see that they are properly cared for and returned at
2the end of each term of school.
3    (b) To waive all fees and any fines for the loss of school
4property assessed by the district on children whose parents
5are unable to afford them, including, but not limited to:
6        (1) children living in households that meet the free
7    lunch or breakfast eligibility guidelines established by
8    the federal government pursuant to Section 1758 of the
9    federal Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42
10    U.S.C. 1758; 7 CFR 245 et seq.) and students whose parents
11    are veterans or active duty military personnel with income
12    at or below 200% of the federal poverty line, subject to
13    verification as set forth in subsection (c) of this
14    Section, and
15        (2) homeless children and youth as defined in Section
16    11434a of the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance
17    Act (42 U.S.C. 11434a).
18    Notice of waiver availability shall be given to parents or
19guardians with every bill for fees or fines. The school board
20shall adopt written policies and procedures for such waiver of
21fees 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 CFR 245 et seq.) as the basis for waiving
2fees assessed by the school district must follow the
3verification requirements of the federally funded,
4school-based child nutrition program (42 U.S.C. 1758; 7 CFR
5245.6a).
6    A school board that establishes a process for the
7determination of eligibility for waiver of fees assessed by
8the school district that is completely independent of a
9student's application for, eligibility for, or participation
10in a federally funded, school-based child nutrition program
11may provide for fee waiver verification no more often than
12once per academic year. Information obtained during the
13independent, fee waiver verification process indicating that
14the student does not meet free lunch or breakfast eligibility
15guidelines may be used to deny the waiver of the student's fees
16or fines for the loss of school property, provided that any
17information obtained through this independent process for
18determining or verifying eligibility for fee waivers shall not
19be used to determine or verify eligibility for any federally
20funded, school-based child nutrition program. This subsection
21shall not preclude children from obtaining waivers at any
22point during the academic year.
23    (d) Regardless of whether the student has obtained a
24waiver pursuant to this Section, a school board may not
25discriminate against, punish, or penalize a student in any way
26because the student's parents or guardians are unable to pay

 

 

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1any required fees or fines for the loss of school property.
2This prohibition includes, but is not limited to, the lowering
3of grades, exclusion from any curricular or extracurricular
4program of the school district, or the withholding of student
5records, grades, transcripts, or diplomas. Any person who
6violates this subsection (d) commits a petty offense.
7    (e) At the end of each school year, each school district
8shall catalog and report to the State Board of Education the
9total amount of fees and fines that remain unpaid by
10graduating seniors or by high school students who left the
11school district during the school year.
12    (f) On or after 3 years from the effective date of this
13amendatory Act of the 103rd General Assembly, subsection (e)
14is inoperative.
15(Source: P.A. 102-805, eff. 1-1-23; 102-1032, eff. 5-27-22;
16103-154, eff. 6-30-23.)
 
17    (105 ILCS 5/27A-5)
18    (Text of Section before amendment by P.A. 102-466 and
19103-472)
20    Sec. 27A-5. Charter school; legal entity; requirements.
21    (a) A charter school shall be a public, nonsectarian,
22nonreligious, non-home based, and non-profit school. A charter
23school shall be organized and operated as a nonprofit
24corporation or other discrete, legal, nonprofit entity
25authorized under the laws of the State of Illinois.

 

 

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1    (b) A charter school may be established under this Article
2by creating a new school or by converting an existing public
3school or attendance center to charter school status. In all
4new applications to establish a charter school in a city
5having a population exceeding 500,000, operation of the
6charter school shall be limited to one campus. This limitation
7does not apply to charter schools existing or approved on or
8before April 16, 2003.
9    (b-5) (Blank).
10    (c) A charter school shall be administered and governed by
11its board of directors or other governing body in the manner
12provided in its charter. The governing body of a charter
13school shall be subject to the Freedom of Information Act and
14the Open Meetings Act. A charter school's board of directors
15or other governing body must include at least one parent or
16guardian of a pupil currently enrolled in the charter school
17who may be selected through the charter school or a charter
18network election, appointment by the charter school's board of
19directors or other governing body, or by the charter school's
20Parent Teacher Organization or its equivalent.
21    (c-5) No later than January 1, 2021 or within the first
22year of his or her first term, every voting member of a charter
23school's board of directors or other governing body shall
24complete a minimum of 4 hours of professional development
25leadership training to ensure that each member has sufficient
26familiarity with the board's or governing body's role and

 

 

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1responsibilities, including financial oversight and
2accountability of the school, evaluating the principal's and
3school's performance, adherence to the Freedom of Information
4Act and the Open Meetings Act, and compliance with education
5and labor law. In each subsequent year of his or her term, a
6voting member of a charter school's board of directors or
7other governing body shall complete a minimum of 2 hours of
8professional development training in these same areas. The
9training under this subsection may be provided or certified by
10a statewide charter school membership association or may be
11provided or certified by other qualified providers approved by
12the State Board.
13    (d) For purposes of this subsection (d), "non-curricular
14health and safety requirement" means any health and safety
15requirement created by statute or rule to provide, maintain,
16preserve, or safeguard safe or healthful conditions for
17students and school personnel or to eliminate, reduce, or
18prevent threats to the health and safety of students and
19school personnel. "Non-curricular health and safety
20requirement" does not include any course of study or
21specialized instructional requirement for which the State
22Board has established goals and learning standards or which is
23designed primarily to impart knowledge and skills for students
24to master and apply as an outcome of their education.
25    A charter school shall comply with all non-curricular
26health and safety requirements applicable to public schools

 

 

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1under the laws of the State of Illinois. The State Board shall
2promulgate and post on its Internet website a list of
3non-curricular health and safety requirements that a charter
4school must meet. The list shall be updated annually no later
5than September 1. Any charter contract between a charter
6school and its authorizer must contain a provision that
7requires the charter school to follow the list of all
8non-curricular health and safety requirements promulgated by
9the State Board and any non-curricular health and safety
10requirements added by the State Board to such list during the
11term of the charter. Nothing in this subsection (d) precludes
12an authorizer from including non-curricular health and safety
13requirements in a charter school contract that are not
14contained in the list promulgated by the State Board,
15including non-curricular health and safety requirements of the
16authorizing local school board.
17    (e) Except as otherwise provided in the School Code, a
18charter school shall not charge tuition; provided that a
19charter school may charge reasonable fees for textbooks,
20instructional materials, and student activities.
21    (f) A charter school shall be responsible for the
22management and operation of its fiscal affairs, including, but
23not limited to, the preparation of its budget. An audit of each
24charter school's finances shall be conducted annually by an
25outside, independent contractor retained by the charter
26school. The contractor shall not be an employee of the charter

 

 

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1school or affiliated with the charter school or its authorizer
2in any way, other than to audit the charter school's finances.
3To ensure financial accountability for the use of public
4funds, on or before December 1 of every year of operation, each
5charter school shall submit to its authorizer and the State
6Board a copy of its audit and a copy of the Form 990 the
7charter school filed that year with the federal Internal
8Revenue Service. In addition, if deemed necessary for proper
9financial oversight of the charter school, an authorizer may
10require quarterly financial statements from each charter
11school.
12    (g) A charter school shall comply with all provisions of
13this Article, the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act,
14all federal and State laws and rules applicable to public
15schools that pertain to special education and the instruction
16of English learners, and its charter. A charter school is
17exempt from all other State laws and regulations in this Code
18governing public schools and local school board policies;
19however, a charter school is not exempt from the following:
20        (1) Sections 10-21.9 and 34-18.5 of this Code
21    regarding criminal history records checks and checks of
22    the Statewide Sex Offender Database and Statewide Murderer
23    and Violent Offender Against Youth Database of applicants
24    for employment;
25        (2) Sections 10-20.14, 10-22.6, 24-24, 34-19, and
26    34-84a of this Code regarding discipline of students;

 

 

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1        (3) the Local Governmental and Governmental Employees
2    Tort Immunity Act;
3        (4) Section 108.75 of the General Not For Profit
4    Corporation Act of 1986 regarding indemnification of
5    officers, directors, employees, and agents;
6        (5) the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act;
7        (5.5) subsection (b) of Section 10-23.12 and
8    subsection (b) of Section 34-18.6 of this Code;
9        (6) the Illinois School Student Records Act;
10        (7) Section 10-17a of this Code regarding school
11    report cards;
12        (8) the P-20 Longitudinal Education Data System Act;
13        (9) Section 27-23.7 of this Code regarding bullying
14    prevention;
15        (10) Section 2-3.162 of this Code regarding student
16    discipline reporting;
17        (11) Sections 22-80 and 27-8.1 of this Code;
18        (12) Sections 10-20.60 and 34-18.53 of this Code;
19        (13) Sections 10-20.63 and 34-18.56 of this Code;
20        (14) Sections 22-90 and 26-18 of this Code;
21        (15) Section 22-30 of this Code;
22        (16) Sections 24-12 and 34-85 of this Code;
23        (17) the Seizure Smart School Act;
24        (18) Section 2-3.64a-10 of this Code;
25        (19) Sections 10-20.73 and 34-21.9 of this Code;
26        (20) Section 10-22.25b of this Code;

 

 

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1        (21) Section 27-9.1a of this Code;
2        (22) Section 27-9.1b of this Code;
3        (23) Section 34-18.8 of this Code;
4        (25) Section 2-3.188 of this Code;
5        (26) Section 22-85.5 of this Code;
6        (27) subsections (d-10), (d-15), and (d-20) of Section
7    10-20.56 of this Code;
8        (28) Sections 10-20.83 and 34-18.78 of this Code;
9        (29) Section 10-20.13 of this Code;
10        (30) (blank); Section 28-19.2 of this Code;
11        (31) Section 34-21.6 of this Code; and
12        (32) Section 22-85.10 of this Code.
13    The change made by Public Act 96-104 to this subsection
14(g) is declaratory of existing law.
15    (h) A charter school may negotiate and contract with a
16school district, the governing body of a State college or
17university or public community college, or any other public or
18for-profit or nonprofit private entity for: (i) the use of a
19school building and grounds or any other real property or
20facilities that the charter school desires to use or convert
21for use as a charter school site, (ii) the operation and
22maintenance thereof, and (iii) the provision of any service,
23activity, or undertaking that the charter school is required
24to perform in order to carry out the terms of its charter.
25Except as provided in subsection (i) of this Section, a school
26district may charge a charter school reasonable rent for the

 

 

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1use of the district's buildings, grounds, and facilities. Any
2services for which a charter school contracts with a school
3district shall be provided by the district at cost. Any
4services for which a charter school contracts with a local
5school board or with the governing body of a State college or
6university or public community college shall be provided by
7the public entity at cost.
8    (i) In no event shall a charter school that is established
9by converting an existing school or attendance center to
10charter school status be required to pay rent for space that is
11deemed available, as negotiated and provided in the charter
12agreement, in school district facilities. However, all other
13costs for the operation and maintenance of school district
14facilities that are used by the charter school shall be
15subject to negotiation between the charter school and the
16local school board and shall be set forth in the charter.
17    (j) A charter school may limit student enrollment by age
18or grade level.
19    (k) If the charter school is authorized by the State
20Board, then the charter school is its own local education
21agency.
22(Source: P.A. 102-51, eff. 7-9-21; 102-157, eff. 7-1-22;
23102-360, eff. 1-1-22; 102-445, eff. 8-20-21; 102-522, eff.
248-20-21; 102-558, eff. 8-20-21; 102-676, eff. 12-3-21;
25102-697, eff. 4-5-22; 102-702, eff. 7-1-23; 102-805, eff.
261-1-23; 102-813, eff. 5-13-22; 103-154, eff. 6-30-23; 103-175,

 

 

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1eff. 6-30-23.)
 
2    (Text of Section after amendment by P.A. 103-472 but
3before amendment by P.A. 102-466)
4    Sec. 27A-5. Charter school; legal entity; requirements.
5    (a) A charter school shall be a public, nonsectarian,
6nonreligious, non-home based, and non-profit school. A charter
7school shall be organized and operated as a nonprofit
8corporation or other discrete, legal, nonprofit entity
9authorized under the laws of the State of Illinois.
10    (b) A charter school may be established under this Article
11by creating a new school or by converting an existing public
12school or attendance center to charter school status. In all
13new applications to establish a charter school in a city
14having a population exceeding 500,000, operation of the
15charter school shall be limited to one campus. This limitation
16does not apply to charter schools existing or approved on or
17before April 16, 2003.
18    (b-5) (Blank).
19    (c) A charter school shall be administered and governed by
20its board of directors or other governing body in the manner
21provided in its charter. The governing body of a charter
22school shall be subject to the Freedom of Information Act and
23the Open Meetings Act. A charter school's board of directors
24or other governing body must include at least one parent or
25guardian of a pupil currently enrolled in the charter school

 

 

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1who may be selected through the charter school or a charter
2network election, appointment by the charter school's board of
3directors or other governing body, or by the charter school's
4Parent Teacher Organization or its equivalent.
5    (c-5) No later than January 1, 2021 or within the first
6year of his or her first term, every voting member of a charter
7school's board of directors or other governing body shall
8complete a minimum of 4 hours of professional development
9leadership training to ensure that each member has sufficient
10familiarity with the board's or governing body's role and
11responsibilities, including financial oversight and
12accountability of the school, evaluating the principal's and
13school's performance, adherence to the Freedom of Information
14Act and the Open Meetings Act, and compliance with education
15and labor law. In each subsequent year of his or her term, a
16voting member of a charter school's board of directors or
17other governing body shall complete a minimum of 2 hours of
18professional development training in these same areas. The
19training under this subsection may be provided or certified by
20a statewide charter school membership association or may be
21provided or certified by other qualified providers approved by
22the State Board.
23    (d) For purposes of this subsection (d), "non-curricular
24health and safety requirement" means any health and safety
25requirement created by statute or rule to provide, maintain,
26preserve, or safeguard safe or healthful conditions for

 

 

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1students and school personnel or to eliminate, reduce, or
2prevent threats to the health and safety of students and
3school personnel. "Non-curricular health and safety
4requirement" does not include any course of study or
5specialized instructional requirement for which the State
6Board has established goals and learning standards or which is
7designed primarily to impart knowledge and skills for students
8to master and apply as an outcome of their education.
9    A charter school shall comply with all non-curricular
10health and safety requirements applicable to public schools
11under the laws of the State of Illinois. The State Board shall
12promulgate and post on its Internet website a list of
13non-curricular health and safety requirements that a charter
14school must meet. The list shall be updated annually no later
15than September 1. Any charter contract between a charter
16school and its authorizer must contain a provision that
17requires the charter school to follow the list of all
18non-curricular health and safety requirements promulgated by
19the State Board and any non-curricular health and safety
20requirements added by the State Board to such list during the
21term of the charter. Nothing in this subsection (d) precludes
22an authorizer from including non-curricular health and safety
23requirements in a charter school contract that are not
24contained in the list promulgated by the State Board,
25including non-curricular health and safety requirements of the
26authorizing local school board.

 

 

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1    (e) Except as otherwise provided in the School Code, a
2charter school shall not charge tuition; provided that a
3charter school may charge reasonable fees for textbooks,
4instructional materials, and student activities.
5    (f) A charter school shall be responsible for the
6management and operation of its fiscal affairs, including, but
7not limited to, the preparation of its budget. An audit of each
8charter school's finances shall be conducted annually by an
9outside, independent contractor retained by the charter
10school. The contractor shall not be an employee of the charter
11school or affiliated with the charter school or its authorizer
12in any way, other than to audit the charter school's finances.
13To ensure financial accountability for the use of public
14funds, on or before December 1 of every year of operation, each
15charter school shall submit to its authorizer and the State
16Board a copy of its audit and a copy of the Form 990 the
17charter school filed that year with the federal Internal
18Revenue Service. In addition, if deemed necessary for proper
19financial oversight of the charter school, an authorizer may
20require quarterly financial statements from each charter
21school.
22    (g) A charter school shall comply with all provisions of
23this Article, the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act,
24all federal and State laws and rules applicable to public
25schools that pertain to special education and the instruction
26of English learners, and its charter. A charter school is

 

 

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1exempt from all other State laws and regulations in this Code
2governing public schools and local school board policies;
3however, a charter school is not exempt from the following:
4        (1) Sections 10-21.9 and 34-18.5 of this Code
5    regarding criminal history records checks and checks of
6    the Statewide Sex Offender Database and Statewide Murderer
7    and Violent Offender Against Youth Database of applicants
8    for employment;
9        (2) Sections 10-20.14, 10-22.6, 24-24, 34-19, and
10    34-84a of this Code regarding discipline of students;
11        (3) the Local Governmental and Governmental Employees
12    Tort Immunity Act;
13        (4) Section 108.75 of the General Not For Profit
14    Corporation Act of 1986 regarding indemnification of
15    officers, directors, employees, and agents;
16        (5) the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act;
17        (5.5) subsection (b) of Section 10-23.12 and
18    subsection (b) of Section 34-18.6 of this Code;
19        (6) the Illinois School Student Records Act;
20        (7) Section 10-17a of this Code regarding school
21    report cards;
22        (8) the P-20 Longitudinal Education Data System Act;
23        (9) Section 27-23.7 of this Code regarding bullying
24    prevention;
25        (10) Section 2-3.162 of this Code regarding student
26    discipline reporting;

 

 

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1        (11) Sections 22-80 and 27-8.1 of this Code;
2        (12) Sections 10-20.60 and 34-18.53 of this Code;
3        (13) Sections 10-20.63 and 34-18.56 of this Code;
4        (14) Sections 22-90 and 26-18 of this Code;
5        (15) Section 22-30 of this Code;
6        (16) Sections 24-12 and 34-85 of this Code;
7        (17) the Seizure Smart School Act;
8        (18) Section 2-3.64a-10 of this Code;
9        (19) Sections 10-20.73 and 34-21.9 of this Code;
10        (20) Section 10-22.25b of this Code;
11        (21) Section 27-9.1a of this Code;
12        (22) Section 27-9.1b of this Code;
13        (23) Section 34-18.8 of this Code;
14        (25) Section 2-3.188 of this Code;
15        (26) Section 22-85.5 of this Code;
16        (27) subsections (d-10), (d-15), and (d-20) of Section
17    10-20.56 of this Code;
18        (28) Sections 10-20.83 and 34-18.78 of this Code;
19        (29) Section 10-20.13 of this Code;
20        (30) (blank); Section 28-19.2 of this Code;
21        (31) Section 34-21.6 of this Code; and
22        (32) Section 22-85.10 of this Code;
23        (33) Section 2-3.196 of this Code;
24        (34) Section 22-95 of this Code;
25        (35) Section 34-18.62 of this Code; and
26        (36) the Illinois Human Rights Act.

 

 

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1    The change made by Public Act 96-104 to this subsection
2(g) is declaratory of existing law.
3    (h) A charter school may negotiate and contract with a
4school district, the governing body of a State college or
5university or public community college, or any other public or
6for-profit or nonprofit private entity for: (i) the use of a
7school building and grounds or any other real property or
8facilities that the charter school desires to use or convert
9for use as a charter school site, (ii) the operation and
10maintenance thereof, and (iii) the provision of any service,
11activity, or undertaking that the charter school is required
12to perform in order to carry out the terms of its charter.
13Except as provided in subsection (i) of this Section, a school
14district may charge a charter school reasonable rent for the
15use of the district's buildings, grounds, and facilities. Any
16services for which a charter school contracts with a school
17district shall be provided by the district at cost. Any
18services for which a charter school contracts with a local
19school board or with the governing body of a State college or
20university or public community college shall be provided by
21the public entity at cost.
22    (i) In no event shall a charter school that is established
23by converting an existing school or attendance center to
24charter school status be required to pay rent for space that is
25deemed available, as negotiated and provided in the charter
26agreement, in school district facilities. However, all other

 

 

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1costs for the operation and maintenance of school district
2facilities that are used by the charter school shall be
3subject to negotiation between the charter school and the
4local school board and shall be set forth in the charter.
5    (j) A charter school may limit student enrollment by age
6or grade level.
7    (k) If the charter school is authorized by the State
8Board, then the charter school is its own local education
9agency.
10(Source: P.A. 102-51, eff. 7-9-21; 102-157, eff. 7-1-22;
11102-360, eff. 1-1-22; 102-445, eff. 8-20-21; 102-522, eff.
128-20-21; 102-558, eff. 8-20-21; 102-676, eff. 12-3-21;
13102-697, eff. 4-5-22; 102-702, eff. 7-1-23; 102-805, eff.
141-1-23; 102-813, eff. 5-13-22; 103-154, eff. 6-30-23; 103-175,
15eff. 6-30-23; 103-472, eff. 8-1-24; revised 8-31-23.)
 
16    (Text of Section after amendment by P.A. 102-466)
17    Sec. 27A-5. Charter school; legal entity; requirements.
18    (a) A charter school shall be a public, nonsectarian,
19nonreligious, non-home based, and non-profit school. A charter
20school shall be organized and operated as a nonprofit
21corporation or other discrete, legal, nonprofit entity
22authorized under the laws of the State of Illinois.
23    (b) A charter school may be established under this Article
24by creating a new school or by converting an existing public
25school or attendance center to charter school status. In all

 

 

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1new applications to establish a charter school in a city
2having a population exceeding 500,000, operation of the
3charter school shall be limited to one campus. This limitation
4does not apply to charter schools existing or approved on or
5before April 16, 2003.
6    (b-5) (Blank).
7    (c) A charter school shall be administered and governed by
8its board of directors or other governing body in the manner
9provided in its charter. The governing body of a charter
10school shall be subject to the Freedom of Information Act and
11the Open Meetings Act. A charter school's board of directors
12or other governing body must include at least one parent or
13guardian of a pupil currently enrolled in the charter school
14who may be selected through the charter school or a charter
15network election, appointment by the charter school's board of
16directors or other governing body, or by the charter school's
17Parent Teacher Organization or its equivalent.
18    (c-5) No later than January 1, 2021 or within the first
19year of his or her first term, every voting member of a charter
20school's board of directors or other governing body shall
21complete a minimum of 4 hours of professional development
22leadership training to ensure that each member has sufficient
23familiarity with the board's or governing body's role and
24responsibilities, including financial oversight and
25accountability of the school, evaluating the principal's and
26school's performance, adherence to the Freedom of Information

 

 

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1Act and the Open Meetings Act, and compliance with education
2and labor law. In each subsequent year of his or her term, a
3voting member of a charter school's board of directors or
4other governing body shall complete a minimum of 2 hours of
5professional development training in these same areas. The
6training under this subsection may be provided or certified by
7a statewide charter school membership association or may be
8provided or certified by other qualified providers approved by
9the State Board.
10    (d) For purposes of this subsection (d), "non-curricular
11health and safety requirement" means any health and safety
12requirement created by statute or rule to provide, maintain,
13preserve, or safeguard safe or healthful conditions for
14students and school personnel or to eliminate, reduce, or
15prevent threats to the health and safety of students and
16school personnel. "Non-curricular health and safety
17requirement" does not include any course of study or
18specialized instructional requirement for which the State
19Board has established goals and learning standards or which is
20designed primarily to impart knowledge and skills for students
21to master and apply as an outcome of their education.
22    A charter school shall comply with all non-curricular
23health and safety requirements applicable to public schools
24under the laws of the State of Illinois. The State Board shall
25promulgate and post on its Internet website a list of
26non-curricular health and safety requirements that a charter

 

 

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1school must meet. The list shall be updated annually no later
2than September 1. Any charter contract between a charter
3school and its authorizer must contain a provision that
4requires the charter school to follow the list of all
5non-curricular health and safety requirements promulgated by
6the State Board and any non-curricular health and safety
7requirements added by the State Board to such list during the
8term of the charter. Nothing in this subsection (d) precludes
9an authorizer from including non-curricular health and safety
10requirements in a charter school contract that are not
11contained in the list promulgated by the State Board,
12including non-curricular health and safety requirements of the
13authorizing local school board.
14    (e) Except as otherwise provided in the School Code, a
15charter school shall not charge tuition; provided that a
16charter school may charge reasonable fees for textbooks,
17instructional materials, and student activities.
18    (f) A charter school shall be responsible for the
19management and operation of its fiscal affairs, including, but
20not limited to, the preparation of its budget. An audit of each
21charter school's finances shall be conducted annually by an
22outside, independent contractor retained by the charter
23school. The contractor shall not be an employee of the charter
24school or affiliated with the charter school or its authorizer
25in any way, other than to audit the charter school's finances.
26To ensure financial accountability for the use of public

 

 

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1funds, on or before December 1 of every year of operation, each
2charter school shall submit to its authorizer and the State
3Board a copy of its audit and a copy of the Form 990 the
4charter school filed that year with the federal Internal
5Revenue Service. In addition, if deemed necessary for proper
6financial oversight of the charter school, an authorizer may
7require quarterly financial statements from each charter
8school.
9    (g) A charter school shall comply with all provisions of
10this Article, the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act,
11all federal and State laws and rules applicable to public
12schools that pertain to special education and the instruction
13of English learners, and its charter. A charter school is
14exempt from all other State laws and regulations in this Code
15governing public schools and local school board policies;
16however, a charter school is not exempt from the following:
17        (1) Sections 10-21.9 and 34-18.5 of this Code
18    regarding criminal history records checks and checks of
19    the Statewide Sex Offender Database and Statewide Murderer
20    and Violent Offender Against Youth Database of applicants
21    for employment;
22        (2) Sections 10-20.14, 10-22.6, 24-24, 34-19, and
23    34-84a of this Code regarding discipline of students;
24        (3) the Local Governmental and Governmental Employees
25    Tort Immunity Act;
26        (4) Section 108.75 of the General Not For Profit

 

 

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1    Corporation Act of 1986 regarding indemnification of
2    officers, directors, employees, and agents;
3        (5) the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act;
4        (5.5) subsection (b) of Section 10-23.12 and
5    subsection (b) of Section 34-18.6 of this Code;
6        (6) the Illinois School Student Records Act;
7        (7) Section 10-17a of this Code regarding school
8    report cards;
9        (8) the P-20 Longitudinal Education Data System Act;
10        (9) Section 27-23.7 of this Code regarding bullying
11    prevention;
12        (10) Section 2-3.162 of this Code regarding student
13    discipline reporting;
14        (11) Sections 22-80 and 27-8.1 of this Code;
15        (12) Sections 10-20.60 and 34-18.53 of this Code;
16        (13) Sections 10-20.63 and 34-18.56 of this Code;
17        (14) Sections 22-90 and 26-18 of this Code;
18        (15) Section 22-30 of this Code;
19        (16) Sections 24-12 and 34-85 of this Code;
20        (17) the Seizure Smart School Act;
21        (18) Section 2-3.64a-10 of this Code;
22        (19) Sections 10-20.73 and 34-21.9 of this Code;
23        (20) Section 10-22.25b of this Code;
24        (21) Section 27-9.1a of this Code;
25        (22) Section 27-9.1b of this Code;
26        (23) Section 34-18.8 of this Code;

 

 

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1        (24) Article 26A of this Code;
2        (25) Section 2-3.188 of this Code;
3        (26) Section 22-85.5 of this Code;
4        (27) subsections (d-10), (d-15), and (d-20) of Section
5    10-20.56 of this Code;
6        (28) Sections 10-20.83 and 34-18.78 of this Code;
7        (29) Section 10-20.13 of this Code;
8        (30) (blank); Section 28-19.2 of this Code;
9        (31) Section 34-21.6 of this Code; and
10        (32) Section 22-85.10 of this Code;
11        (33) Section 2-3.196 of this Code;
12        (34) Section 22-95 of this Code;
13        (35) Section 34-18.62 of this Code; and
14        (36) the Illinois Human Rights Act.
15    The change made by Public Act 96-104 to this subsection
16(g) is declaratory of existing law.
17    (h) A charter school may negotiate and contract with a
18school district, the governing body of a State college or
19university or public community college, or any other public or
20for-profit or nonprofit private entity for: (i) the use of a
21school building and grounds or any other real property or
22facilities that the charter school desires to use or convert
23for use as a charter school site, (ii) the operation and
24maintenance thereof, and (iii) the provision of any service,
25activity, or undertaking that the charter school is required
26to perform in order to carry out the terms of its charter.

 

 

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1Except as provided in subsection (i) of this Section, a school
2district may charge a charter school reasonable rent for the
3use of the district's buildings, grounds, and facilities. Any
4services for which a charter school contracts with a school
5district shall be provided by the district at cost. Any
6services for which a charter school contracts with a local
7school board or with the governing body of a State college or
8university or public community college shall be provided by
9the public entity at cost.
10    (i) In no event shall a charter school that is established
11by converting an existing school or attendance center to
12charter school status be required to pay rent for space that is
13deemed available, as negotiated and provided in the charter
14agreement, in school district facilities. However, all other
15costs for the operation and maintenance of school district
16facilities that are used by the charter school shall be
17subject to negotiation between the charter school and the
18local school board and shall be set forth in the charter.
19    (j) A charter school may limit student enrollment by age
20or grade level.
21    (k) If the charter school is authorized by the State
22Board, then the charter school is its own local education
23agency.
24(Source: P.A. 102-51, eff. 7-9-21; 102-157, eff. 7-1-22;
25102-360, eff. 1-1-22; 102-445, eff. 8-20-21; 102-466, eff.
267-1-25; 102-522, eff. 8-20-21; 102-558, eff. 8-20-21; 102-676,

 

 

10300HB4577ham001- 29 -LRB103 38876 RJT 72228 a

1eff. 12-3-21; 102-697, eff. 4-5-22; 102-702, eff. 7-1-23;
2102-805, eff. 1-1-23; 102-813, eff. 5-13-22; 103-154, eff.
36-30-23; 103-175, eff. 6-30-23; 103-472, eff. 8-1-24; revised
48-31-23.)
 
5    (105 ILCS 5/34-21.6)  (from Ch. 122, par. 34-21.6)
6    Sec. 34-21.6. Waiver of fees and fines.
7    (a) The board shall waive all fees and any fines for the
8loss of school property assessed by the district on children
9whose parents are unable to afford them, including but not
10limited to:
11        (1) children living in households that meet the free
12    lunch or breakfast eligibility guidelines established by
13    the federal government pursuant to Section 1758 of the
14    federal Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42
15    U.S.C. 1758; 7 CFR 245 et seq.) and students whose parents
16    are veterans or active duty military personnel with income
17    at or below 200% of the federal poverty level, subject to
18    verification as set forth in subsection (b) of this
19    Section; and
20        (2) homeless children and youths as defined in Section
21    11434a of the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance
22    Act (42 U.S.C. 11434a).
23    Notice of waiver availability shall be given to parents or
24guardians with every bill for fees or fines. The board shall
25develop written policies and procedures implementing this

 

 

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1Section in accordance with regulations promulgated by the
2State Board of Education.
3    (b) If the board participates in a federally funded,
4school-based child nutrition program and uses a student's
5application for, eligibility for, or participation in the
6federally funded, school-based child nutrition program (42
7U.S.C. 1758; 7 245 et seq.) as the basis for waiving fees
8assessed by the district, then the board must follow the
9verification requirements of the federally funded,
10school-based child nutrition program (42 U.S.C. 1758; 7 CFR
11245.6a).
12    If the board establishes a process for the determination
13of eligibility for waiver of all fees assessed by the district
14that is completely independent of the criteria listed in
15subsection (b), the board may provide for waiver verification
16no more often than once every academic year. Information
17obtained during the independent waiver verification process
18indicating that the student does not meet free lunch or
19breakfast eligibility guidelines may be used to deny the
20waiver of the student's fees or fines for the loss of school
21property, provided that any information obtained through this
22independent process for determining or verifying eligibility
23for fee waivers shall not be used to determine or verify
24eligibility for any federally funded, school-based child
25nutrition program.
26    This subsection shall not preclude children from obtaining

 

 

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1waivers at any point during the academic year.
2    (c) The board may not discriminate against, punish, or
3penalize a student in any way because the student's parents or
4guardians are unable to pay any required fees or fines for the
5loss of school property. This prohibition includes, but is not
6limited to, the lowering of grades, exclusion from any
7curricular or extracurricular program of the school district,
8or the withholding of student records, grades, transcripts, or
9diplomas. Any person who violates this subsection (c) commits
10a petty offense.
11    (d) At the end of each school year, the school district
12shall catalog and report to the State Board of Education the
13total amount of fees and fines that remain unpaid by
14graduating seniors or by high school students who left the
15school district during the school year.
16    (e) On or after 3 years from the effective date of this
17amendatory Act of the 103rd General Assembly, subsection (d)
18is inoperative.
19(Source: P.A. 102-805, eff. 1-1-23; 102-1032, eff. 5-27-22;
20103-154, eff. 6-30-23.)
 
21    (105 ILCS 5/28-19.2 rep.)
22    Section 10. The School Code is amended by repealing
23Section 28-19.2.
 
24    Section 95. No acceleration or delay. Where this Act makes

 

 

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1changes in a statute that is represented in this Act by text
2that is not yet or no longer in effect (for example, a Section
3represented by multiple versions), the use of that text does
4not accelerate or delay the taking effect of (i) the changes
5made by this Act or (ii) provisions derived from any other
6Public Act.
 
7    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
8becoming law.".