HB3034 amends the Illinois School Code by adding a new Section 14-19 to the Children with Disabilities Article. The bill directs the State Board of Education to develop guidelines for students enrolled in peer-support courses, where students serve as aides, helpers, peer tutors, or teaching assistants for educators, paraprofessionals, or other students. The guidelines must address training on common cognitive and physical disabilities, related accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the skills needed to support fellow students in a course or subject area.
The required guidelines also must cover how educators may assess student aides, the learning standards and expectations for those aides, classroom management protocols, best practices and ethics for peer support, proper etiquette when interacting with special education students, and other applicable learning standards. In effect, the bill creates a statewide framework for peer-support coursework rather than leaving expectations entirely to local districts or individual teachers.
Impact
If enacted, the bill would add a new statewide mandate to the School Code requiring the Illinois State Board of Education to issue guidance for peer-support courses. It would not directly change special education eligibility or services, but it would standardize how schools prepare and supervise student aides who support students with disabilities. The practical effect would be to influence curriculum design, teacher training, student aide evaluation, and classroom practices in districts that offer peer-support or peer-tutoring programs.
Sentiment
Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee testimony or votes, the available context suggests a generally constructive and noncontroversial policy approach focused on improving support for students with disabilities. The measure appears aimed at clarifying expectations and promoting better training and consistency in peer-support settings. No formal opposition, amendments, or recorded vote history is provided in the available materials.
Contention
No committee transcripts or voting history are available, so no specific points of contention are documented. Potential areas of debate, if any arise, would likely involve whether the State Board should set statewide guidelines versus leaving such matters to local control, the administrative burden on schools, and how much training or oversight is appropriate for student aides. The bill’s supporters would likely emphasize improved support, consistency, and disability awareness, while any skeptics might question implementation costs or flexibility for districts.
Enacts the student suicide prevention act; requires the governing board or body of every local educational agency serving students in grades seven to twelve, to adopt policies, procedures and guidelines on student suicide prevention, intervention and postvention for students in such grades.
Enacts the student suicide prevention act; requires the governing board or body of every local educational agency serving students in grades seven to twelve, to adopt policies, procedures and guidelines on student suicide prevention, intervention and postvention for students in such grades.
Enacts the student suicide prevention act; requires the governing board or body of every local educational agency serving students in grades seven to twelve, to adopt policies, procedures and guidelines on student suicide prevention, intervention and postvention for students in such grades.