Advocacy

As we hoped, Governor JB Pritzker signed SB 28, allowing school leaders to proceed with finalizing school calendars.

The legislation reinstates the 5-hour instructional day mandate as it existed while creating exceptions to that requirement for students to engage in learning opportunities outside of the classroom. SB 28, now Public Act 101-0012, is effective July 1, 2019. 

The exceptions to the five-hour instructional day requirement are for students participating in dual credit, internships, youth apprenticeships or blended learning programs, as well as the expansion of e-learning flexibility statewide. In addition, the legislation allows districts to use two of the 176 school calendar days for parent-teacher conference days.

We appreciate the governor's office understanding the sense of urgency with getting this legislation signed. We also want to applaud the bill's sponsor, Senator Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant, D-Shorewood, for her leadership and willingness to listen to concerns districts had with the initial version of the bill. In the end, we landed on a compromise that we believe is a win-win for everyone.

We will continue to follow when other pieces of legislation get signed by the governor and update you on the details.

Thanks for reading and have a great week.