Bill
HB 2739
Requires a minimum one-year expulsion for Illinois K-12 students found to commit sexual violence, sexual assault, or nonconsensual sexual activity at school or related events.
Status & basic info
- Bill: HB 2739 (amends 105 ILCS 5/10‑22.6 — Illinois School Code)
- Title (short): SCH CD‑EXPEL STU‑SEX VIOLENCE
- Filed/Introduced: February 2025 (filed/introduced in early February; co‑sponsor Rep. Jeff Keicher added March 6, 2025)
- Effective date: “Effective immediately” upon enactment (per bill text)
Purpose
- To require a minimum one‑year expulsion for any student determined to have committed sexual violence, sexual assault, or sexual activity with another individual without that individual’s consent when the misconduct occurs at school, at a school‑sponsored activity or event, or at any activity or event that bears a reasonable relationship to school.
Key provisions and changes
- Amends Section 10‑22.6 of the School Code (105 ILCS 5/10‑22.6).
- Adds a mandatory expulsion requirement: a student who is determined to have committed sexual violence, sexual assault, or non‑consensual sexual activity in the covered contexts “shall be expelled for a period of not less than one year.”
- Retains the School Code’s existing procedural framework for suspensions/expulsions (parent notice, board meeting or hearing officer review, and written decisions), although the substantive penalty for the specified offenses becomes mandatory and time‑minimumed.
- States effective immediately.
Who and what would be affected
- Primary: Students in Illinois public schools (K–12) who are found to have committed the specified sexual acts in the covered settings.
- School districts, local school boards, superintendents, principals and hearing officers (required to implement the mandatory expulsion and associated procedures).
- Alternative placement programs: students expelled under this provision may be transferred to alternative programs consistent with Article 13A/13B, subject to safety considerations.
- Families of affected students and school staff responsible for discipline and safety.
- Potentially local budgets and staffing if expulsions increase and alternative placements or legal proceedings rise.
Procedural and timeline aspects
- The bill inserts a substantive mandatory penalty into existing expulsion procedures; the standard notification, hearing and written‑decision steps in Section 10‑22.6 remain the mechanism for implementing expulsions.
- The bill is effective immediately upon enactment.
Potential impacts and considerations
- Reduces local discretion by creating a minimum one‑year expulsion for covered sexual offenses, which may limit case‑by‑case sentencing flexibility.
- May increase demand for alternative education placements and related district resources.
- Interactions with federal law (e.g., IDEA obligations for students with disabilities, Title IX) and due‑process/rehabilitation considerations could affect implementation; the bill does not specify exceptions beyond the retained procedural steps.
- May increase litigation or appeals in close/contested cases because of the mandatory minimum penalty.
Note about document contents
- The legislative packet provided also contains unrelated text from another jurisdiction’s HB 2739 (Arizona) concerning labeling of foods derived from cultivated cells. That text appears unrelated to this Illinois School Code amendment and should be considered a separate bill.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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