Page 20 - Illinois School Code News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Belleville News-Democrat Collinsville School District 10 music teacher, Jennifer Bhooshan, teaches students at Webster Elementary school in October 2020. The Illinois State Board of Education voted Wednesday to require all student attendance days be in-person after many school districts shifted to remote learning because of the coronavirus pandemic. Editor’s note: This story was originally published by the Belleville News-Democrat, a news partner of St. Louis Public Radio. Illinois schools will be required to resume fully in-person learning in the fall, subject to favorable public healt...

Bill Excuses Students Up To 5 Days A Year For Religious Reasons Patch 2 hrs ago Jonah Meadows © Jenna Fisher/Patch House Bill 169 would remove the requirement in the Illinois School Code for school boards to produce a list of mandatory religious holidays. SKOKIE, IL — A proposed change to the Illinois School Code would excuse students from being absent from school for up to five days a year for religious reasons. The legislation, House Bill 169, is an initiative of the Northern Illinois Muslim American Alliance. Last month, it passed the Illinois House by a vote of 108-...

AP Photo/LM Otero The Illinois Federation of Teachers is pushing a bill through the legislature that would force all schools, public and private, to follow strict guidelines for resuming in-person instruction. It would give authority to the state’s public health department to set standards and requirements for schools even after the governor’s state of emergency is lifted and the pandemic has ended. There will be no expiration date for the protocols. The bill is being opposed by both private parochial schools and Chicago Public Schools, along with the state board of education. It promises...

Chesney awarded Humane Legislator Award FREEPORT — State Rep. Andrew Chesney, R-Freeport, was recently awarded the  2020 Humane Legislator Award by the Humane Society of the U.S.  The Legislator of the Year Award is given to the General Assembly member who best advocates for the well-being of animals. Chesney was given the award for his efforts supporting and passing companion animal welfare bills, including legislation to ban cosmetics testing on animals, co-sponsoring legislation across the aisle to prevent animal cruelty to pets and sponsoring and passing legislation in the Illinois Ho...

The governor’s office unveiled a 900-page energy overhaul bill Wednesday, accelerating a yearslong process which advocates hope will end in a comprehensive clean energy platform as the session nears its final month. The stated goal of the bill is to drive Illinois to 100 percent “clean” energy by 2050. That, Deputy Gov. Christian Mitchell said in an interview Wednesday, would include nuclear power as a major contributor. Another goal is to bring Illinois to 40 percent of its utility scale energy produced by renewables, such as wind and solar, by 2030. Right now, that number is around 8 ...