(The Center Square) – A series of new laws are set to take effect in the new year, many of which deal with Illinois public schools.
One law provides that a school building’s emergency and crisis response plan must include a way for law enforcement to rapidly enter a school building in the event of an emergency.
Another law allows a substitute teacher who has filled a vacancy left by a licensed teacher to teach in an emergency situation for 90 days or until the end of the semester. Currently, a substitute teacher may only fill a vacancy left by a licensed teacher under contract in an emergency situation for up to 30 days.
“As a strong advocate for teachers, I have seen and heard the struggles that many districts face when trying to find a substitute,” said the bill’s sponsor and former teacher state Sen. Meg Loughran Cappel, D-Shorewood. “We have to work with school districts to give them the ability to adapt during certain situations.”
Another new law designed to address teacher shortages in some districts will provide retention bonuses of $4,000 per year to National Board-certified teachers employed in hard-to-staff schools on a first-come, first-served basis.
A new law states that in situations of alleged sexual abuse, witnesses who are under the age of 18 shall only be questioned by a hearing officer, rather than by the teacher accused of misconduct.
Another new law will count work-based learning events as excused absences, including missing school for Future Farmers of America and 4-H programs.
“Through these programs, they are becoming the leaders, innovators and workforce for agriculture, which is our state’s largest industry and a key piece for our efforts in conservation and sustainability in our nation and in our world,” said FFA president Thaddeus Bergschneider.
Schools will now be required to provide instruction on the dangers of fentanyl to high school students, and also maintain a supply of opioid-reversal agents on the premises.
Students in grades 9-12 shall also be educated on allergen safety, including ways of recognizing symptoms and signs of an allergic reaction, and steps to take to prevent exposure to allergens, and how to safely administer epinephrine.
The laws go into effect Jan. 1.
