Bill Text: IL HB5400 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Amends the Courses of Study Article of the School Code. Provides that, beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, every public elementary school and high school shall include in its curriculum a unit of instruction studying the events of Arab American history, including the history of Arab Americans in the State and the Midwest, as well as the contributions of Arab Americans from the 19th century onward. Provides that the State Superintendent of Education may prepare and make available to all school boards instructional materials, including those established by the Public Broadcasting Service, that may be used as guidelines for the development of the unit of instruction. Provides that each school board shall determine the minimum amount of instructional time that qualifies as a unit of instruction. Provides that the regional superintendent of schools shall monitor a school district's compliance with the curricular requirements during the regional superintendent's annual compliance visit. Provides that a school may meet the requirements through an online program or course. Effective immediately.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-04-05 - Rule 19(a) / Re-referred to Rules Committee [HB5400 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2023-HB5400-Introduced.html

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103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2023 and 2024 HB5400 Introduced , by Rep. Abdelnasser Rashid SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
105 ILCS 5/27-23.17 new
Amends the Courses of Study Article of the School Code. Provides that, beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, every public elementary school and high school shall include in its curriculum a unit of instruction studying the events of Arab American history, including the history of Arab Americans in the State and the Midwest, as well as the contributions of Arab Americans from the 19th century onward. Provides that the State Superintendent of Education may prepare and make available to all school boards instructional materials, including those established by the Public Broadcasting Service, that may be used as guidelines for the development of the unit of instruction. Provides that each school board shall determine the minimum amount of instructional time that qualifies as a unit of instruction. Provides that the regional superintendent of schools shall monitor a school district's compliance with the curricular requirements during the regional superintendent's annual compliance visit. Provides that a school may meet the requirements through an online program or course. Effective immediately.
LRB103 38895 RJT 69032 b
STATE MANDATES ACT MAY REQUIRE REIMBURSEMENT MAY APPLY
A BILL FOR
HB5400 LRB103 38895 RJT 69032 b
AN ACT concerning education.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 5. The School Code is amended by adding Section
27-23.17 as follows:
(105 ILCS 5/27-23.17 new)
Sec. 27-23.17. Arab American History Study.
(a) Beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, every public
elementary school and high school shall include in its
curriculum a unit of instruction studying the events of Arab
American history, including the history of Arab Americans in
this State and the Midwest, as well as the contributions of
Arab Americans from the 19th century onward. These events
shall include the contributions made by individual Arab
Americans in government and the arts, humanities, and
sciences, as well as the contributions of Arab American
communities to the economic, cultural, social, and political
development of the United States. The studying of this
material shall constitute an affirmation by students of their
commitment to respect the dignity of all races and peoples and
to forever eschew every form of discrimination in their lives
and careers.
(b) The State Superintendent of Education may prepare and

HB5400 - 2 - LRB103 38895 RJT 69032 b
make available to all school boards instructional materials,
including those established by the Public Broadcasting
Service, that may be used as guidelines for the development of
a unit of instruction under this Section. However, each school
board shall itself determine the minimum amount of
instructional time that qualifies as a unit of instruction
satisfying the requirements of this Section.
(c) The regional superintendent of schools shall monitor a
school district's compliance with this Section's curricular
requirements during the regional superintendent's annual
compliance visit.
(d) A school may meet the requirements of this Section
through an online program or course.