Chapter 105, SCHOOLS

(105 ILCS 5/27-50) (was 105 ILCS 5/27-27) Sec. 27-50. System of categorizing classes. When school districts use a system of categorizing classes of instruction by degree of difficulty and issues grades in accordance therewith, identification of said system shall be reflected in t…

(105 ILCS 5/27-505) (was 105 ILCS 5/27-21) Sec. 27-505. History of the United States. (a) History of the United States shall be taught in all public schools and in all other educational institutions in this State supported or maintained, in whole or in part, by public funds. The …

(105 ILCS 5/27-510) Sec. 27-510. Patriotism, principles of representative government, and elementary civics education. (a) American patriotism and the principles of representative government, as enunciated in the American Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the Unite…

(105 ILCS 5/27-515) (was 105 ILCS 5/27-4) Sec. 27-515. Time requirement for civics studies. Not less than one hour of each school week, or an amount of time equal to one hour per school week through the school year, shall be devoted to the study of the subjects mentioned in Secti…

(105 ILCS 5/27-520) (was 105 ILCS 5/27-20.05) Sec. 27-520. Native American history study. (a) Beginning with the 2024-2025 school year, every public elementary school and high school social studies course pertaining to American history or government shall include in its curriculu…

(105 ILCS 5/27-525) (was 105 ILCS 5/27-20.3) Sec. 27-525. Holocaust and Genocide Study. (a) Every public elementary school and high school shall include in its curriculum a unit of instruction studying the events of the Nazi atrocities of 1933 to 1945. This period in world histor…

(105 ILCS 5/27-530) (was 105 ILCS 5/27-20.4) Sec. 27-530. Black History study. Every public elementary school and high school shall include in its curriculum a unit of instruction studying the events of Black History, including the history of the pre-enslavement of Black people f…

(105 ILCS 5/27-535) (was 105 ILCS 5/27-20.5) Sec. 27-535. Study of the History of Women. Every public elementary school and high school shall include in its curriculum a unit of instruction studying the events of the history of women in America. These events shall include not onl…

(105 ILCS 5/27-540) (was 105 ILCS 5/27-20.8) Sec. 27-540. Asian American history study. (a) Beginning with the 2022-2023 school year, every public elementary school and high school shall include in its curriculum a unit of instruction studying the events of Asian American history…

(105 ILCS 5/27-545) (was 105 ILCS 5/27-23.8) Sec. 27-545. Disability history and awareness. (a) A school district shall provide instruction on disability history, people with disabilities, and the disability rights movement. Instruction may be included in those courses that the s…

(105 ILCS 5/27-605) (was 105 ILCS 5/27-22) (Text of Section from P.A. 104-803) Sec. 27-605. Required high school courses. (a) (Blank). (b) (Blank). (c) (Blank). (d) (Blank). (e) Through the 2023-2024 school year, as a prerequisite to receiving a high school diploma, each pupil en…

(105 ILCS 5/27-610) (was 105 ILCS 5/27-22.05) Sec. 27-610. Required course substitute. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Article or this Code, a school board that maintains any of grades 9 through 12 is authorized to adopt a policy under which a student who is enrolled …

(105 ILCS 5/27-615) (was 105 ILCS 5/27-22.10) (Text of Section before amendment by P.A. 104-596) Sec. 27-615. Course credit for high school diploma. (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Code, the school board of a school district that maintains any of grades 9 through …

(105 ILCS 5/27-705) (was 105 ILCS 5/27-5) Sec. 27-705. Physical education and training. School boards of public schools and the Board of Governors of State Colleges and Universities shall provide for the physical education and training of pupils of the schools and laboratory scho…

(105 ILCS 5/27-710) (was 105 ILCS 5/27-6) Sec. 27-710. Courses in physical education required; special activities. (a) Pupils enrolled in the public schools and State universities engaged in preparing teachers shall be required to engage during the school day, except on block sch…

(105 ILCS 5/27-715) (was 105 ILCS 5/27-6.3) Sec. 27-715. Play time required in elementary school. (a) All public schools shall provide daily time for supervised, unstructured, child-directed play for all students in kindergarten through grade 5. Play time must allow unstructured …

(105 ILCS 5/27-720) (was 105 ILCS 5/27-6.5) Sec. 27-720. Physical fitness assessments in schools. (a) As used in this Section, "physical fitness assessment" means a series of assessments to measure aerobic capacity, body composition, muscular strength, muscular endurance, and fle…

(105 ILCS 5/27-725) (was 105 ILCS 5/27-7) Sec. 27-725. Physical education course of study. A physical education course of study shall include a developmentally planned and sequential curriculum that fosters the development of movement skills, enhances health-related fitness, incr…

(105 ILCS 5/27-805) (was 105 ILCS 5/27-24) Sec. 27-805. Short title. This Section and the following Sections preceding Section 27-905 of this Code are known and may be cited as the Driver Education Act. (Source: P.A. 104-391, eff. 8-15-25.)

(105 ILCS 5/27-810) (was 105 ILCS 5/27-24.1) Sec. 27-810. Definitions. As used in the Driver Education Act unless the context otherwise requires: "State Board" means the State Board of Education. "Driver education course" and "course" means a course of instruction in the use and …

(105 ILCS 5/27-815) (was 105 ILCS 5/27-24.2) Sec. 27-815. Safety education; driver education course. Instruction shall be given in safety education in each of grades one through 8, equivalent to one class period each week, and any school district which maintains grades 9 through …

(105 ILCS 5/27-820) (was 105 ILCS 5/27-24.2a) Sec. 27-820. Non-public school driver education course. Beginning with the 2017-2018 school year, any non-public school's driver education course shall include instruction concerning law enforcement procedures for traffic stops, inclu…

(105 ILCS 5/27-825) (was 105 ILCS 5/27-24.3) Sec. 27-825. Reimbursement. In order for the school district to receive reimbursement from the State as hereinafter provided, the driver education course offered in its schools shall consist of at least 30 clock hours of classroom inst…

(105 ILCS 5/27-830) (was 105 ILCS 5/27-24.4) Sec. 27-830. Reimbursement amount. (a) Each school district shall be entitled to reimbursement for each student who finishes either the classroom instruction part or the practice driving part of a driver education course that meets the…

(105 ILCS 5/27-835) (was 105 ILCS 5/27-24.5) Sec. 27-835. Submission of claims. The district shall report on forms prescribed by the State Board, on an ongoing basis, a list of students by name, birth date, and sex, with the date the behind-the-wheel instruction or the classroom …

(105 ILCS 5/27-840) (was 105 ILCS 5/27-24.6) Sec. 27-840. Attendance records. The school board shall require the teachers of driver education courses to keep daily attendance records for students attending such courses in the same manner as is prescribed in Section 24-18 of this …

(105 ILCS 5/27-845) (was 105 ILCS 5/27-24.7) Sec. 27-845. School Code to apply. The provisions of this Code not inconsistent with the provisions of the Driver Education Act shall apply to the conduct of instruction offered by a school district under the provisions of the Driver E…

(105 ILCS 5/27-850) (was 105 ILCS 5/27-24.8) Sec. 27-850. Rules and regulations. The State Board may promulgate rules and regulations not inconsistent with the provisions of the Driver Education Act for the administration of the Driver Education Act. (Source: P.A. 104-391, eff. 8…

(105 ILCS 5/27-855) (was 105 ILCS 5/27-24.9) Sec. 27-855. Driver education standards. The State Board of Education, in consultation with the Secretary of State, an association representing teachers of driver education, students, education practitioners, including, but not limited…

(105 ILCS 5/27-860) (was 105 ILCS 5/27-24.10) Sec. 27-860. Cost report. The State Board of Education shall annually prepare a report to be posted on the State Board's Internet website that indicates the approximate per capita driver education cost for each school district require…

(105 ILCS 5/27-905) (was 105 ILCS 5/27-22.1) Sec. 27-905. Summer school; required instructional time. Each course offered for high school graduation credit during summer school or any period of the calendar year not embraced within the regular school year, whether or not such cou…

(105 ILCS 5/27A-1) Sec. 27A-1. Short title and application. This Article may be cited as the Charter Schools Law. This Article applies in all school districts, including special charter districts and school districts located in cities having a population of more than 500,000. (So…

(105 ILCS 5/27A-10) Sec. 27A-10. Employees. (a) A person shall be deemed to be employed by a charter school unless a collective bargaining agreement or the charter school contract otherwise provides. (b) In all school districts, including special charter districts and districts l…

(105 ILCS 5/27A-10.10) Sec. 27A-10.10. Closure of charter school; unspent public funds; procedures for the disposition of property and assets. (a) Upon the closing of a charter school authorized by one or more local school boards, the governing body of the charter school or its d…

(105 ILCS 5/27A-10.5) Sec. 27A-10.5. Educational or charter management organization. (a) In this Section: "CMO" means a charter management organization. "EMO" means an educational management organization. (b) All authorizers shall ensure that any charter school established on or …

(105 ILCS 5/27A-11) Sec. 27A-11. Local financing. (a) For purposes of the School Code, pupils enrolled in a charter school shall be included in the pupil enrollment of the school district within which the pupil resides. Each charter school (i) shall determine the school district …

(105 ILCS 5/27A-11.5) Sec. 27A-11.5. State financing. The State Board shall make the following funds available to school districts and charter schools: (1) From a separate appropriation made to the State Board for purposes of this subdivision (1), the State Board shall make trans…

(105 ILCS 5/27A-12) Sec. 27A-12. Evaluation; report. On or before September 30 of every odd-numbered year, all local school boards with at least one charter school shall submit a report to the State Board containing any information required by the State Board pursuant to applicab…

(105 ILCS 5/27A-13) Sec. 27A-13. Rules. The State Board is authorized to adopt any rules not inconsistent with this Article that it deems necessary to implement and accomplish the purposes and provisions of this Article. (Source: P.A. 103-175, eff. 6-30-23.)

(105 ILCS 5/27A-2) Sec. 27A-2. Legislative declaration. (a) The General Assembly finds and declares as follows: (1) Encouraging educational excellence is in the best interests of the people of this State. (2) There are educators, community members, and parents in Illinois who can…

(105 ILCS 5/27A-3) Sec. 27A-3. Definitions. For purposes of this Article: "At-risk pupil" means a pupil who, because of physical, emotional, socioeconomic, or cultural factors, is less likely to succeed in a conventional educational environment. "Authorizer" means an entity autho…

(105 ILCS 5/27A-4) Sec. 27A-4. General provisions. (a) The General Assembly does not intend to alter or amend the provisions of any court-ordered desegregation plan in effect for any school district. A charter school shall be subject to all federal and State laws and constitution…

(105 ILCS 5/27A-5) Sec. 27A-5. Charter school; legal entity; requirements. (a) A charter school shall be a public, nonsectarian, nonreligious, non-home based, and non-profit school. A charter school shall be organized and operated as a nonprofit corporation or other discrete, leg…

(105 ILCS 5/27A-5.3) Sec. 27A-5.3. Wireless communication device policy. (a) As used in this Section: "School time" means the time students spend on a school campus during the regular school day, beginning with the designated arrival time for students through the designated dismi…

(105 ILCS 5/27A-5.5) Sec. 27A-5.5. Charter school truancy. (a) A charter school shall comply with all applicable absenteeism and truancy policies and requirements applicable to public schools under the laws of the State of Illinois. (b) A charter school shall define a truant as a…

(105 ILCS 5/27A-6) Sec. 27A-6. Contract contents; applicability of laws and regulations. (a) A certified charter shall constitute a binding contract and agreement between the charter school and a local school board under the terms of which the local school board authorizes the go…

(105 ILCS 5/27A-6.5) Sec. 27A-6.5. Charter school referendum. (a) No charter shall go into effect under this Section that would convert any existing private, parochial, or non-public school to a charter school or whose proposal has not been certified by the State Board. (b) A loc…

(105 ILCS 5/27A-7) Sec. 27A-7. Charter submission. (a) A proposal to establish a charter school shall be submitted to the local school board and the State Board for certification under Section 27A-6 of this Code in the form of a proposed contract entered into between the local sc…

(105 ILCS 5/27A-7.10) Sec. 27A-7.10. Authorizer powers and duties; immunity; principles and standards. (a) Authorizers are responsible for executing, in accordance with this Article, all of the following powers and duties: (1) Soliciting and evaluating charter applications. (2) A…

(105 ILCS 5/27A-7.5) Sec. 27A-7.5. State Charter School Commission; abolition and transfer to State Board; fee. (a) (Blank). (a-5) (Blank). (b) (Blank). (c) (Blank). (d) (Blank). (e) (Blank). (f) (Blank). (g) (Blank). (g-5) (Blank). (h) (Blank). (i) (Blank). (j) The State Board m…