Every new school year brings new hopes, new challenges, new friends and, yes, new rules.
This guide looks at one factor affecting families’ educational lives: laws.
Illinois is in a unique position compared to other states. Its Democrat-controlled Legislature hasn’t become consumed with the culture war era debates that have swept through red states, like book bans, the teaching of African American history and transgender students’ rights.
So while Illinois might be missing those fireworks, here are a few new laws parents should nonetheless care about as the new school year approaches.
Book bans
One piece of the culture wars made its way through Springfield this year, book bans — but not in the same way as other places in the country.
Illinois became the first state to prohibit book bans in a bill Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed in June, which takes effect in 2024. Public libraries can lose funding if a book is taken off the shelves for personal, political or religious reasons. Libraries will be required to adopt the American Library Association’s Bill of Rights, or similar language, that forbids books from being removed from circulation over those types of disputes.
“To me, this is a slippery slope, and it goes against what education is about. The purpose of education is to teach children to think for themselves,” Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias told the Sun-Times.
“We thought instead of being reactive to book bans, being reactive to this assault on our democracy, we said let’s be proactive. And if you’re going to ban books, you’re not going to get state grants.”
Last year’s attempts in suburban Downers Grove to ban the graphic novel “Gender Queer,” a coming-of-age story about gender identity that conservatives targeted nationwide, drew public attention. Members of the far-right group the Proud Boys led the charge, appearing at a rowdy school board meeting and calling a student supporting the book a “pedophile.”
After a review, the board eventually opted to keep the book.
Bullying
In June, a new law kicked in requiring schools to inform all the parents or guardians of students involved in alleged bullying incidents within 24 hours after administrators learn of it, replacing the vague concept of “promptly” letting parents know.
The law also expands the definition of bullying to include harassment based on such things as physical appearance, socioeconomic or academic status, pregnancy and homelessness. Schools also have to post public policies on bullying. And the Illinois State Board of Education must create a template policy to help districts that fall short.
One challenge will be getting kids who are bullied to report incidents — a little less than half of kids who are bullied notify an adult at school.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, about 20 percent of students nationwide from ages 12-18 experience bullying. Roughly the same amount of high school kids report being bullied on school property, usually in a hallway, stairwell, classroom or cafeteria. About 15 percent of bullying is online these days.
Constitution Day
As of July, Constitution Day was added to the commemorative holidays recognized by schools and backed with instructional materials. The downstate Republican-led initiative does not give students a day off but gives schools materials to teach about the United States every Sept. 17.
Disability services
Starting in 2024, all students and their parents or guardians will receive information and resources at their annual Individualized Education Program meeting about enrolling in a state database called PUNS, or Prioritization of Urgency of Need for Services. The system registers people needing developmental disability waiver services, such as community-integrated living arrangements, adaptive equipment, home-based supports or child group homes.
As funding becomes available, people registered in the PUNS database are picked to apply for those state-provided services. Those interested can call the state human services department’s Division of Developmental Disabilities hotline at 1-888-376-8446.
Mental health
In the push for better mental health services for Illinois children — particularly through the trauma of the COVID-19 pandemic — a new law took effect in July requiring contact information for the Safe2Help Illinois helpline to be on student identification cards. Until now, schools have listed local resources instead. But there are disparities in usefulness among different towns and communities.
The Safe2Help hotline, a 24/7 program developed by the state, was created to give students various ways — via a free app, text, phone or website at safe2helpillinois.com — to share personal school safety issues. Once vetted, the information can be shared with the local school district and authorities. The two most common problems are threats of suicide and bullying.
Opioid antagonists
Gov. J.B. Pritzker will likely sign a bill requiring all public and private schools to maintain a supply of emergency medicine to reverse opioid overdoses.
Young people aren’t the largest group among opioid overdose victims, but the number of kids getting hurt is increasing. Cook County’s youngest of 1,599 opioid overdose deaths last year was a 12-year-old Chicago boy. Thirteen children died of fentanyl poisoning last year in Cook County, down from 15 in 2021 but up from nine in 2020 and five in 2019.
Synthetic opioids, in particular, are a growing crisis. Illinois deaths increased nearly 3,000 percent in the last decade. Highly dangerous heroin, for example, is a drug produced from the farmed opium plant. Synthetic fentanyl is 50 times stronger than heroin. Used as a pain reliever, it’s also often found to be shaped into the form of other popular drugs and sold to unsuspecting young people.
The Drug Enforcement Administration’s Chicago office has made significant efforts to raise awareness about the danger of synthetic drugs, conducting presentations on opioid abuse and overdoses at schools in Chicago, the suburbs and across northern and central Illinois.
“We’ve been seeing a year-over-year increase in school-aged children being impacted and killed because of fentanyl poisoning,” said Luis Agostini, a spokesman for DEA’s Chicago field division.
“I would encourage parents to have conversations with their young ones … [to] help remove the stigma regarding discussing the dangers of drug use and abuse,” he said. “That availability to youth on social media that’s one of our biggest concerns. … We have to narrow that gap of knowledge and awareness among youth around fentanyl and drug use and abuse.”
While Agostini said the DEA could not comment on pending legislation, the agency strongly supports the use and availability of opioid antagonists like the ones that’ll be required to be supplied in schools.
Potential signs and symptoms of an opioid overdose include blue or purple fingernails and lips; unresponsiveness to voice or touch; pinpoint-sized pupils; slow heartbeat or low blood pressure; slow, irregular or stopped breathing; and pale, clammy skin. Anyone who suspects an opioid overdose should immediately call 911.
Tutoring
As kids continue recovering from disruptions the pandemic caused to their learning, many Illinois school districts have prioritized high-dosage tutoring, one of the most effective ways to keep students on track.
Almost 30 Illinois districts are participating in a state-funded tutoring program meant to provide students with well-trained and consistent one-on-one or small-group tutors. Many other districts, like Chicago, have bolstered their tutor ranks on their own. CPS has placed a particular focus on literacy.
Any families seeking a district-provided tutor should ask their school for more information. And anyone interested in becoming a paid tutor can contact their local school district or visit the Illinois State Board of Education for more details.
Nader Issa covers education for the Chicago Sun-Times.
