Bill Text: IL SB2775 | 2013-2014 | 98th General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Amends the Transportation Article of the School Code. Requires the Chicago Board of Education to provide free transportation to and from a pupil's assigned school and a pick-up point for any pupil who must walk or otherwise travel along a safe passage route, as designated by the Board, to reach school or return home. Effective immediately.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 6-0)

Status: (Failed) 2015-01-13 - Session Sine Die [SB2775 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2013-SB2775-Introduced.html

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98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2013 and 2014 SB2775 Introduced 1/30/2014, by Sen. Kimberly A. Lightford SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
105 ILCS 5/29-3 from Ch. 122, par. 29-3
Amends the Transportation Article of the School Code. Requires the Chicago Board of Education to provide free transportation to and from a pupil's assigned school and a pick-up point for any pupil who must walk or otherwise travel along a safe passage route, as designated by the Board, to reach school or return home. Effective immediately.
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FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY STATE MANDATES ACT MAY REQUIRE REIMBURSEMENT
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, 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.

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For the purpose of this Act 1 1/2 miles 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.
In addition to the other requirements of this Section, the
school board of a school district organized under Article 34 of
this Code shall provide free transportation to and from a
pupil's assigned school and a pick-up point that meets the
requirements of this Section for any pupil who must walk or
otherwise travel along a safe passage route, as designated by
the school board, to reach school or return home.
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 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

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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 vehicular traffic or rail crossings.
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, 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 the pupil is required to
walk along normally traveled roads or streets where walking is
alleged to constitute a serious safety hazard due to vehicular
traffic or rail crossings, 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 vehicular traffic or rail
crossings, shall conduct a study and make findings, which the
Department of Transportation 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 and shall approve or disapprove the school board's
determination that a serious safety hazard exists within 30

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days after the school board submits its findings to the
Department. The school board shall annually review the
conditions and determine whether or not the hazardous
conditions remain unchanged. The State Superintendent of
Education may request that the Illinois Department of
Transportation verify that the conditions have not changed. No
action shall lie against the school board, the State
Superintendent of Education or the Illinois Department of
Transportation for decisions made in accordance with this
Section. The provisions of the Administrative Review Law and
all amendments and modifications thereof and the rules adopted
pursuant thereto shall apply to and govern all proceedings
instituted for the judicial review of final administrative
decisions of the Department of Transportation under this
Section.
(Source: P.A. 94-439, eff. 8-4-05; 95-903, eff. 8-25-08.)
Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.