Children's Safety and Health
Senate Bill 1793, Suicide Awareness Policy, was signed into law by Governor Rauner on August 21, 2015. Now known as Public Act 99-0443 or Ann Marie’s Law, requires that the State Board of Education:
- Develop a model youth suicide awareness and prevention policy in consultation with an Illinois youth suicide prevention organization and organizations representing school boards and personnel.
- Compile, develop, and publicly post online recommended guidelines and educational materials for training and professional development as well as recommended resources and age-appropriate educational materials on youth suicide awareness and prevention.
The model policy is to include a statement on youth suicide awareness and prevention; protocols for education of staff and students; prevention methods, including procedures for early identification and referral of at-risk students; methods of intervention; response methods; reporting procedures; and recommended resources, including contact information. Each school board is to review and update its current suicide awareness and prevention policy or adopt an age-appropriate youth suicide awareness and prevention policy consistent with this statute, and inform employees and parents of enrolled students of this policy.- Compile, develop, and publicly post online recommended guidelines and educational materials for training and professional development as well as recommended resources and age-appropriate educational materials on youth suicide awareness and prevention.
The guidelines and resources provided by Ann Marie’s Law have been needed for some time: according to the Centers for Disease Control, suicide has been the 3rd leading cause of death of Illinois children aged 10 years to 21 years old for at least a decade.
House Bill 217 (“HB217”), the Youth Mental Health Protection Act was signed into law. Now known as Public Act 99-0411, this statute protects Illinois youth under the age of 18 from conversion therapy or sexual orientation change efforts by mental health professionals. According to well-respected professional associations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Psychiatric Association and the American Psychological Association, conversion therapy is never recommended and may increase depression and anxiety; this may result in increased rates of substance abuse and self-destructive behavior, including suicide. This statute provides for penalties to anyone found to be in its violation.
Senate Bill 7, the Youth Sports Concussion Safety Act, was signed by Governor Rauner on August 3, 2015. Now assigned Public Act 99-2455, this act creates additional protection for Illinois youth from the tragedies that have occurred to too many Illinois children during sports and athetics. Even with recognized return-to-play standards for concussions and head injuries, some affected youth athletes are prematurely returned to play. This statute updates the safety protocols currently in place to better prevent these injuries, and to further ensure the appropriate treatment and oversight of concussion of youth athletes.
Concussions are one of the most commonly reported injuries in children and adolescents who participate in sports and recreational activities. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) estimates that as many as 3.9 million sports-related and recreation-related concussions occur in the USA annually. Continuing to play with a concussion or symptoms of a head injury leaves a young athlete especially vulnerable to greater injury and even death.
In July 2015, Senate Bill 9, which concerned the youth safety issue of powdered caffeine distribution and sale was signed into law. Senate Bill 9, Powdered Caffeine Control and Education Act, now Public Act 99-0021, prohibits anyone from selling, offering to sell, giving or providing free samples of powdered pure caffeine to anyone under the age of 18 in Illinois in order to protect their health and safety. A single teaspoon of this substance may contain as much caffeine as 25 cups of coffee. As you may be aware from information provided in a recent Illinois PTA Resolution, caffeine can be a dangerous substance; the American Academy of Pediatrics discourages the consumption of caffeine and related stimulants by children and adolescents.
Education Issues
On July 30th, 2015, House Bill 2683, Multiple Measure Index, now Public Act 99-0193, was signed into law by Governor Rauner. As a result of Public Act 99-0193, the Illinois State Board of Education will develop a system of reward standards for student performance and school improvement for all school districts and their individual schools for those schools that meet specified criteria. For schools, the Illinois State Board of Education will implement a system of rewards for those schools and school districts that recognizes: high-poverty, high-performing schools that are closing achievement gaps and excelling in academic achievement; schools that have sustained high performance; schools that have substantial growth performance over the 3 years preceding the year in which recognition is awarded; and schools that have demonstrated the most progress compared to other schools in Illinois in closing the achievement gap. The student performance segment will focus on student outcomes and closing the achievement gap within each school district and its individual schools using a Multiple Measure Index and Annual Measurable Objectives set forth in this statute; this will include the school's performance in terms of both academic success (including measures of college and career readiness) and equity (including the academic growth and college and career readiness of each school's subgroups of students).
House Bill 2657, Educator Licensure (Vision 20/20), now Public Act 99-0058, was also signed into law earlier in 2015. This will allow Illinois school districts to recruit and retain highly qualified teachers and administrators, regardless of the state where individuals received their initial educator license. In addition, this amends the school code to provide that the institute fund may also be used by the State Superintendent of Education to support educator recruitment and retention programs and to provide professional development. This was one of several bills endorsed by Illinois Vision 20/20, of which the Illinois PTA is a supporter.
Juvenile Justice Issues
In the area of Juvenile Justice, House Bill 2567 (“HB2567”) and House Bill 3718 (“HB3718”), which amend the Juvenile Court Act of 1987, were signed into law in 2015 and will be effective January 1, 2016.
HB2567, now Public Act 99-0254, provides that a child under the age of 13 shall not be admitted, kept or detained in a detention facility unless:
- a local youth service provider has been contacted, and
- the local youth service provider is unable to accept the child.
- the local youth service provider is unable to accept the child.
HB3718, now Public Act 99-0258, expands juvenile court discretion over the important decision to try children in adult court by limiting automatic transfer; currently this is triggered by age and charged offense. As of January 1, 2016, the juvenile court will have the discretion to make the transfer decision after hearing both sides of the case and reviewing the rehabilitative services available to the youth.
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Questions concerning advocacy issues? Contact me at lgarbaty@illinoispta.org
Lisa S. Garbaty, Illinois PTA Legislative Advocacy Director
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