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SB 1740

SCH CD-MANDATES-REORGANIZE

104th Regular Session Introduced by Christopher Belt and 21 co-sponsors

Creates a School Code Mandate Reduction Council to review and eliminate outdated school mandates, reorganize the School Code, and report recommendations to the General Assembly.

Public Act . . . . . . . . . 104-0391
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Bill Summary · SB 1740

SB 1740 — “SCH CD‑MANDATES‑REORGANIZE” (Public Act 104‑0391)

Status and effective date
- Public Act 104‑0391 (formerly Senate Bill 1740).
- Passed both chambers, signed by the Governor.
- Effective date: August 15, 2025.

Purpose and high‑level intent
- A broad revision and reorganization of provisions in the Illinois School Code and related laws intended to: (1) reorganize the Course of Study and other School Code articles; (2) identify and reduce outdated, duplicative, or burdensome statutory mandates on schools; and (3) make numerous conforming, technical, and policy changes across education statutes (and some related statutes such as the Illinois Grant Funds Recovery Act and the Soybean Ink Act).

Key provisions and changes
- School Code Mandate Reduction Council
- Establishes a School Code Mandate Reduction Council to review School Code mandates and recommend elimination, modification, or consolidation of requirements that are outdated or unduly burdensome.
- Membership includes legislative appointees and a range of education stakeholder representatives (teachers’ organizations, principals, school boards, administrators, regional and large district representatives) with the State Superintendent convening the initial meeting.
- The Council must meet at least four times (Oct 1, 2025–Sept 1, 2026 in the implementing amendment) and deliver a report to the General Assembly (deadline included in amendment language: by Oct 1, 2026) with recommended statutory changes.
- Staff and administrative support are provided by the State Board of Education; Council members serve without compensation.

  • Reorganization and repeal of School Code provisions

    • Renumbers and reorganizes numerous sections, articles, and headings in the Course of Study and related portions of the School Code.
    • Repeals or removes certain provisions (examples shown in amendment history): outdated social science learning standards language, selected health education and instruction requirements, and other specified sections judged obsolete or redundant. (The Act includes many targeted renumberings, deletions, and conforming edits.)

  • Student grading, promotion, and fees

    • Clarifies teacher responsibility for determining grades and sets local policy requirements for grade changes.
    • Prohibits withholding a student’s grades, transcripts, or diploma because of unpaid school account balances. (Amendments add explicit references to unpaid balances.)

  • Instructional content and consent education

    • Requires consent education to be “age and developmentally appropriate” and defines “consent” as affirmative, voluntary, and revocable — aligning health/consent instruction to developmental standards.

  • Grants and reporting (Grant Funds Recovery Act)

    • Modifies grant application and grant‑agreement requirements (e.g., specification of payment terms, financial controls, reporting obligations for grants, and requirements for returning unused funds), with clarifying edits pertaining to school maintenance grants and reporting thresholds.

  • Miscellaneous changes

    • Minor changes to the Soybean Ink Act (procurement language for school districts).
    • Adjustments to numerous statutory cross‑references and removal or amendment of training hour minimums and other programmatic duties in selected sections.
    • Various amendments and committee/house floor amendments adjusted wording, timing, Council composition, and reporting mechanics.

Who is affected
- Primary: school districts, principals, teachers, school administrators, regional education entities, and the State Board of Education.
- Secondary: students and parents (notably protections against withholding diplomas/grades for unpaid fees and changes to required instruction), grant applicants/recipients, and certain state agencies responsible for implementing and supporting the Council and statutory changes.

Procedural/timeline notes and fiscal impact
- The Act became law and takes effect Aug 15, 2025; many provisions apply immediately unless otherwise specified.
- The Council is to convene under the State Superintendent’s direction and report recommendations to the General Assembly (implementation and further statutory change will follow legislative action on those recommendations).
- The legislative analysis and amendment history show multiple technical and substantive edits during passage. The Act does not specify a statewide fiscal appropriation for all changes; potential fiscal impacts include administrative costs for the Council and implementation, and possible state mandate/reimbursement implications for local districts depending on which mandates are altered or imposed.

For readers seeking specifics
- This Act is comprehensive and technical: it renumbers and revises many School Code sections. For detailed text, consult the enrolled/chaptered Public Act 104‑0391 (effective Aug 15, 2025) and the final bill/amendment texts to identify the exact statutory edits that apply to particular sections or programs.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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