Bill Text: IL HB1275 | 2025-2026 | 104th General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Amends the Transportation Article of the School Code. Requires the school boards of certain school districts to provide free transportation for pupils residing at a distance of 1/2 mile or more from the school to which they are assigned for attendance if the school is located completely or partially within or directly adjacent to an R3 zone, as designated by the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority, and is outside of a county with a population of 3,000,000 or more residents, except for those pupils for whom adequate transportation for the public is available.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2025-01-13 - Filed with the Clerk by Rep. Maurice A. West, II [HB1275 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2025-HB1275-Introduced.html

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104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 HB1275 Introduced , by Rep. Maurice A. West, II SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
105 ILCS 5/29-3 from Ch. 122, par. 29-3
Amends the Transportation Article of the School Code. Requires the school boards of certain school districts to provide free transportation for pupils residing at a distance of 1/2 mile or more from the school to which they are assigned for attendance if the school is located completely or partially within or directly adjacent to an R3 zone, as designated by the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority, and is outside of a county with a population of 3,000,000 or more residents, except for those pupils for whom adequate transportation for the public is available.
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STATE MANDATES ACT MAY REQUIRE REIMBURSEMENT MAY APPLY
A BILL FOR
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AN ACT concerning education.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Section
29-3 as follows:
(105 ILCS 5/29-3) (from Ch. 122, par. 29-3)
Sec. 29-3. Transportation in school districts. School
boards of community consolidated districts, community unit
districts, consolidated districts, consolidated high school
districts, optional elementary unit districts, combined high
school - unit districts, combined school districts if the
combined district includes any district which was previously
required to provide transportation, and any newly created
elementary or high school districts resulting from a high
school - unit conversion, a unit to dual conversion, or a
multi-unit conversion if the newly created district includes
any area that was previously required to provide
transportation shall provide free transportation for pupils
residing at a distance of one and one-half miles or more from
any school to which they are assigned for attendance
maintained within the district and for pupils residing at a
distance of 1/2 mile or more from the school to which they are
assigned for attendance if the school is located completely or

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partially within or directly adjacent to an R3 zone, as
designated by the Illinois Criminal Justice Information
Authority, and is outside of a county with a population of
3,000,000 or more residents, except for those pupils for whom
the school board shall certify to the State Board of Education
that adequate transportation for the public is available.
For the purpose of this Act, 1 1/2 miles distance or 1/2
mile distance shall be from the exit of the property where the
pupil resides to the point where pupils are normally unloaded
at the school attended; such distance shall be measured by
determining the shortest distance on normally traveled roads
or streets.
Such school board may comply with the provisions of this
Section by providing free transportation for pupils to and
from an assigned school and a pick-up point located not more
than one and one-half miles from the home of each pupil
assigned to such point or located not more than 1/2 mile from
the home of each pupil assigned to such point if the school is
located completely or partially within or directly adjacent to
a designated R3 zone and is outside of a county with a
population of 3,000,000 or more residents.
For the purposes of this Act, "adequate transportation for
the public" shall be assumed to exist for such pupils as can
reach school by walking, one way, along normally traveled
roads or streets less than 1 1/2 miles or less than 1/2 mile if
the school is located completely or partially within or

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directly adjacent to a designated R3 zone and is outside of a
county with a population of 3,000,000 or more residents,
irrespective of the distance the pupil is transported by
public transportation.
In addition to the other requirements of this Section,
each school board may provide free transportation for any
pupil residing within 1 1/2 miles from the school attended
where conditions are such that walking, either to or from the
school to which a pupil is assigned for attendance or to or
from a pick-up point or bus stop, constitutes a serious hazard
to the safety of the pupil due to either (i) vehicular traffic
or rail crossings or (ii) a course or pattern of criminal
activity, as defined in Section 10 of the Illinois Streetgang
Terrorism Omnibus Prevention Act. Such transportation shall
not be provided if adequate transportation for the public is
available.
The determination as to what constitutes a serious safety
hazard shall be made by the school board, in accordance with
guidelines promulgated by the Illinois Department of
Transportation regarding vehicular traffic or rail crossings
or in accordance with guidelines regarding a course or pattern
of criminal activity, as determined by the local law
enforcement agency, in consultation with the State
Superintendent of Education. A school board, on written
petition of the parent or guardian of a pupil for whom adequate
transportation for the public is alleged not to exist because

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the pupil is required to walk along normally traveled roads or
streets where walking is alleged to constitute a serious
safety hazard due to either (i) vehicular traffic or rail
crossings or (ii) a course or pattern of criminal activity, or
who is required to walk between the pupil's home and assigned
school or between the pupil's home or assigned school and a
pick-up point or bus stop along roads or streets where walking
is alleged to constitute a serious safety hazard due to either
(i) vehicular traffic or rail crossings or (ii) a course or
pattern of criminal activity, shall conduct a study and make
findings, which the Department of Transportation, with respect
to vehicular traffic or rail crossings, or the State Board of
Education, in consultation with the local law enforcement
agency, with respect to a course or pattern of criminal
activity, shall review and approve or disapprove as provided
in this Section, to determine whether a serious safety hazard
exists as alleged in the petition. The Department of
Transportation shall review the findings of the school board
concerning vehicular traffic or rail crossings and shall
approve or disapprove the school board's determination that a
serious safety hazard exists within 30 days after the school
board submits its findings to the Department of
Transportation. The State Board of Education, in consultation
with the local law enforcement agency, shall review the
findings of the school board concerning a course or pattern of
criminal activity and shall approve or disapprove the school

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