SB0939 amends Section 10-22.6 of the Illinois School Code, which governs student suspensions, expulsions, and school searches. The bill expands and clarifies when schools may suspend or expel students, especially for serious safety-related conduct, while also adding procedural protections and documentation requirements. It requires written decisions to explain the specific conduct at issue and the rationale for the length of the suspension or expulsion, and it reinforces that disciplinary decisions should be made case by case and in a manner consistent with federal law, including the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and Title IX.
The bill also places greater emphasis on limiting exclusionary discipline and using alternatives where possible. It directs schools to consider non-exclusionary interventions before using out-of-school suspensions or expulsions, requires support services for students suspended more than three days, and mandates district policies for re-engagement and make-up work. It further addresses discipline for threats made online, sexual assault and sexual conduct at school-related events, and possession of weapons, including firearms and knives, with mandatory expulsion provisions in certain cases and limited superintendent or board discretion to modify those outcomes.
SB0939 would substantially revise the School Code’s discipline framework for elementary, secondary, and charter schools by tightening procedures for suspensions and expulsions, limiting zero-tolerance policies, and requiring districts to adopt policies on re-engagement, make-up work, and support services. It also adds new or expanded rules for disciplinary hearings, including representation by a parent-selected advocate, restrictions on direct questioning of alleged victims in sexual violence cases, and consultation with mental health professionals when mental illness may be a factor. The bill affects school districts, administrators, students, parents or guardians, and alternative education programs, and it cross-references the Illinois Municipal Code, the Juvenile Court Act, the Criminal Code, Title IX, and the IDEA.
The bill appears generally reform-oriented and student-supportive, with a clear emphasis on reducing unnecessary exclusion from school while preserving strong responses to serious misconduct and safety threats. Its structure suggests an effort to balance school safety, due process, and student re-engagement. No committee transcript or recorded vote history was provided, so there is no direct evidence of debate or formal opposition in the supplied materials.
The main points of potential contention are the bill’s limits on zero-tolerance discipline, the requirement that schools exhaust other interventions before long suspensions or expulsions, and the added procedural protections for students and families. School officials may view these provisions as constraining local discretion, while advocates for students are likely to support them as safeguards against overuse of exclusionary discipline. Another likely area of debate is the special treatment of serious offenses such as weapons possession, online threats, and sexual assault, where the bill preserves mandatory or near-mandatory discipline but still allows case-by-case modification in some circumstances.