Bill Text: IL SB0156 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Amends the School Code. Beginning with the 2023-2024 school year, requires school boards to report, on their school district's website, a list of the learning materials and activities to be used for student instruction during the school year. Requires that the report also include any procedures that are in effect at each school for the documentation, review, or approval of the learning materials and activities used for student instruction. Specifies the minimum information that must be included in the report. Allows a school district to update the report on an ongoing basis, but requires the report to be updated by January 1 and August 1 of each year. Allows a school district to utilize collaborative online document or spreadsheet software to update or make additions to the report. Sets forth other requirements. Effective immediately.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-08 - Added as Co-Sponsor Sen. Tom Bennett [SB0156 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2023-SB0156-Introduced.html

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103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2023 and 2024 SB0156 Introduced 1/25/2023, by Sen. Neil Anderson SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
105 ILCS 5/10-20.85 new
105 ILCS 5/34-18.82 new
Amends the School Code. Beginning with the 2023-2024 school year, requires school boards to report, on their school district's website, a list of the learning materials and activities to be used for student instruction during the school year. Requires that the report also include any procedures that are in effect at each school for the documentation, review, or approval of the learning materials and activities used for student instruction. Specifies the minimum information that must be included in the report. Allows a school district to update the report on an ongoing basis, but requires the report to be updated by January 1 and August 1 of each year. Allows a school district to utilize collaborative online document or spreadsheet software to update or make additions to the report. Sets forth other requirements. Effective immediately.
LRB103 25130 RJT 51467 b
STATE MANDATES ACT MAY REQUIRE REIMBURSEMENT MAY APPLY
A BILL FOR
SB0156 LRB103 25130 RJT 51467 b
AN ACT concerning education.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 1. This Act may be referred to as the School
Materials and Activities Report for Transparency Law.
Section 5. The School Code is amended by adding Sections
10-20.85 and 34-18.82 as follows:
(105 ILCS 5/10-20.85 new)
Sec. 10-20.85. Learning materials and activities report.
(a) In this Section:
"Activities" includes, but is not limited to, student
assemblies, guest lectures, educational events facilitated by
a school's administration or staff, or educational events
conducted by outside individuals or organizations.
"Activities" does not include student presentations.
"Learning materials" includes, but is not limited to, any
of the following:
(1) Instructional material that consists of content
that conveys to a student through a medium or a
combination of media the essential knowledge, information,
and skills pertaining to a subject included in a public
school curriculum. In this paragraph (1), "instructional

SB0156 - 2 - LRB103 25130 RJT 51467 b
material" includes a book or books; workbooks;
supplementary materials; a combination of a book or books,
workbooks, and supplementary materials; computer software,
magnetic media, DVDs, CD-ROMs, computer courseware, online
services, or an electronic medium; or other means of
conveying information to a student or otherwise
contributing to the learning process through electronic
means, including through open education resource
instructional material as described in paragraph (2) of
this definition.
(2) Open education resource instructional material
that consists of teaching, learning, and research
resources that reside in the public domain or have been
released under an intellectual property license and allows
for the free use, reuse, modification, and sharing of
resources with others. In this paragraph (2), "open
education resource instructional material" includes full
courses, course materials, modules, textbooks, streaming
videos, tests or exams, software, or any other tools,
materials, or techniques used to support access to
knowledge and also includes State-developed open education
resource instructional material.
(3) Teaching aids.
(4) Any other material for student instruction in
which a student has the option to select the material.
"Used for student instruction" means assigned, provided,

SB0156 - 3 - LRB103 25130 RJT 51467 b
or otherwise presented to a school's students in (i) any
course for which students receive academic credit or (ii) any
educational capacity in which participation of the student
body is required by the school or in which a majority of the
students in a particular grade level participate.
(b) Beginning with the 2023-2024 school year, the school
board of each school district shall report for each of the
district's schools the following information in a prominent
location on the district's website:
(1) A list of the learning materials and activities
that are to be used for student instruction during the
school year. The list of learning materials and activities
shall be organized, at a minimum, by grade level and
subject area.
(2) Any procedures that are in effect at each school
for the documentation, review, or approval by the school's
administrators, principal, or teachers of the learning
materials and activities used for student instruction.
(c) Under this Section, a school board shall provide
updated information on the district's website by January 1 and
August 1 of each year and more frequently as the school board
deems appropriate. A school board is required to report only
the information that is necessary to identify the specific
learning materials and activities used for student instruction
at each school. The information reported must include the
title and the author, the name of the organization, or the

SB0156 - 4 - LRB103 25130 RJT 51467 b
Internet address, as appropriate, associated with each of the
learning materials or activities. Nothing in this Section may
be construed to require either of the following:
(1) The publication of a digital reproduction of
learning materials on a school district's website.
(2) A separate listing of the individual components of
learning materials produced as a single volume; however,
if the volume contains works by multiple authors, the
listing shall provide either a table of contents or an
Internet address that discloses the discrete works and
authors contained within the volume.
(d) Under this Section, a school district may, but is not
required to:
(1) update the report and post the updated report on
the district's website on an ongoing basis during the
school year, provided that an updated report is completed
by January 1 and August 1; and
(2) utilize collaborative online document or
spreadsheet software that allows multiple authorized users
to update or make additions to the report on an ongoing
basis, provided that a link to the report is publicly
accessible on the district's website.
(e) Each school district's report under this Section shall
remain publicly available on the school district's website at
least until the next report for the year is completed and made
publicly available on the district's website.

SB0156 - 5 - LRB103 25130 RJT 51467 b
(105 ILCS 5/34-18.82 new)
Sec. 34-18.82. Learning materials and activities report.
(a) In this Section:
"Activities" includes, but is not limited to, student
assemblies, guest lectures, educational events facilitated by
a school's administration or staff, or educational events
conducted by outside individuals or organizations.
"Activities" does not include student presentations.
"Learning materials" includes, but is not limited to, any
of the following:
(1) Instructional material that consists of content
that conveys to a student through a medium or a
combination of media the essential knowledge, information,
and skills pertaining to a subject included in a public
school curriculum. In this paragraph (1), "instructional
material" includes a book or books; workbooks;
supplementary materials; a combination of a book or books,
workbooks, and supplementary materials; computer software,
magnetic media, DVDs, CD-ROMs, computer courseware, online
services, or an electronic medium; or other means of
conveying information to a student or otherwise
contributing to the learning process through electronic
means, including through open education resource
instructional material as described in paragraph (2) of
this definition.

SB0156 - 6 - LRB103 25130 RJT 51467 b
(2) Open education resource instructional material
that consists of teaching, learning, and research
resources that reside in the public domain or have been
released under an intellectual property license and allows
for the free use, reuse, modification, and sharing of
resources with others. In this paragraph (2), "open
education resource instructional material" includes full
courses, course materials, modules, textbooks, streaming
videos, tests or exams, software, or any other tools,
materials, or techniques used to support access to
knowledge and also includes State-developed open education
resource instructional material.
(3) Teaching aids.
(4) Any other material for student instruction in
which a student has the option to select the material.
"Used for student instruction" means assigned, provided,
or otherwise presented to a school's students in (i) any
course for which students receive academic credit or (ii) any
educational capacity in which participation of the student
body is required by the school or in which a majority of the
students in a particular grade level participate.
(b) Beginning with the 2023-2024 school year, the board
shall report for each of the school district's schools the
following information in a prominent location on the
district's website:
(1) A list of the learning materials and activities

SB0156 - 7 - LRB103 25130 RJT 51467 b
that are to be used for student instruction during the
school year. The list of learning materials and activities
shall be organized, at a minimum, by grade level and
subject area.
(2) Any procedures that are in effect at each school
for the documentation, review, or approval by each
school's administrators, principal, or teachers of the
learning materials and activities used for student
instruction.
(c) Under this Section, the board shall provide updated
information on the district's website by January 1 and August
1 of each year and more frequently as the board deems
appropriate. The board is required to report only the
information that is necessary to identify the specific
learning materials and activities used for student instruction
at each school. The information reported must include the
title and the author, the name of the organization, or the
Internet address, as appropriate, associated with each of the
learning materials or activities. Nothing in this Section may
be construed to require either of the following:
(1) The publication of a digital reproduction of
learning materials on the school district's website.
(2) A separate listing of the individual components of
learning materials produced as a single volume; however,
if the volume contains works by multiple authors, the
listing shall provide either a table of contents or an

SB0156 - 8 - LRB103 25130 RJT 51467 b
Internet address that discloses the discrete works and
authors contained within the volume.
(d) Under this Section, the school district may, but is
not required to:
(1) update the report and post the updated report on
the district's website on an ongoing basis during the
school year, provided that an updated report is completed
by January 1 and August 1; and
(2) utilize collaborative online document or
spreadsheet software that allows multiple authorized users
to update or make additions to the report on an ongoing
basis, provided that a link to the report is publicly
accessible on the district's website.
(e) Each report under this Section shall remain publicly
available on the school district's website at least until the
next report for the year is completed and made publicly
available on the district's website.
Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.