HB 3037 — RIGHT TO PLAY ACT

*LRB10412006LNS22101b* HB3037 104THEngrossed GENERALLRB104 ASSEMBLY12006 StateLNS of22101 Illinoisb andAN 2026ACT HB3037concerning Introducededucation. 2/6/2025, by Rep.

Janet Yang Rohr SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

New Act ILCS 5/27A-5 Creates the Right to Play Act.

Provides that a student who is a member activity that is of the same sport as the school athletic activity during the season in which the student participates in the school athletic activity without losing eligibility to participate in the school athletic activity, provided that the student may not participate in both the nonschool athletic activity and a school athletic practice or competition for the same sport on the same day.

LRB104 12006 LNS 22101 b A BILL FOR HB3037 LRB104 12006 LNS 22101 b AN ACT concerning education.

"School athletic activity" means an organized athletic HB3037 Engrossed - 2 - LRB104 12006 LNS 22101 b activity that is sponsored by or associated with a school and in which participants are:

or (2) in practice or preparation for an athletic game or competition against another team, club, or activity.entity.

A student who is a member of a school athletic activity may participateparticipate, with a waiver granted by the principal or athletic director from the student's school, in a nonschool athletic activity that is of the same sport as the school athletic activity during the season in which the student participates in the school athletic activity without losing eligibility to participate in the school athletic activity.

However,The thewaiver student may notalso participateapply into both"all-star theteam" nonschoolevents. athletic activity and a school athletic practice or competition for the same sport on the same day.

Up to 2 waivers per student may be granted over the course of each school year.

The waiver shall be reported by the school granting the waiver to an association or other entity that has as one of its purposes promoting, sponsoring, regulating, or in any manner providing for interscholastic athletics or any form of athletic competition among schools and students within this State.

The School Code is amended by changing Section HB3037 Engrossed - 3 - LRB104 12006 LNS 22101 b 27A-5 as follows:

(a) A charter school shall be a public, nonsectarian, HB3037 - 3 - LRB104 12006 LNS 22101 b nonreligious, non-home based, and non-profit school.

A charter school's board of directors or other governing body must include at least one parent or guardian of a pupil currently enrolled in the charter school HB3037 Engrossed - 4 - LRB104 12006 LNS 22101 b who may be selected through the charter school or a charter network election, appointment by the charter school's board of directors or other governing body, or by the charter school's Parent Teacher Organization or its equivalent.

(c-5) No later than January 1, 2021 or within the first year of his or her first term, every voting member of a charter HB3037 - 4 - LRB104 12006 LNS 22101 b school's board of directors or other governing body shall complete a minimum of 4 hours of professional development leadership training to ensure that each member has sufficient familiarity with the board's or governing body's role and responsibilities, including financial oversight and accountability of the school, evaluating the principal's and school's performance, adherence to the Freedom of Information Act and the Open Meetings Act, and compliance with education and labor law.

(d) For purposes of this subsection (d), "non-curricular health and safety requirement" means any health and safety requirement created by statute or rule to provide, maintain, preserve, or safeguard safe or healthful conditions for HB3037 Engrossed - 5 - LRB104 12006 LNS 22101 b students and school personnel or to eliminate, reduce, or prevent threats to the health and safety of students and school personnel.

"Non-curricular health and safety requirement" does not include any course of study or specialized instructional requirement for which the State Board has established goals and learning standards or which is HB3037 - 5 - LRB104 12006 LNS 22101 b designed primarily to impart knowledge and skills for students to master and apply as an outcome of their education.

HB3037 Engrossed - 6 - LRB104 12006 LNS 22101 b (e) Except as otherwise provided in the School Code, a charter school shall not charge tuition;

(f) A charter school shall be responsible for the management and operation of its fiscal affairs, including, but HB3037 - 6 - LRB104 12006 LNS 22101 b not limited to, the preparation of its budget.

A charter school is HB3037 Engrossed - 7 - LRB104 12006 LNS 22101 b exempt from all other State laws and regulations in this Code governing public schools and local school board policies;

(1) Sections 10-21.9 and 34-18.5 of this Code regarding criminal history records checks and checks of the Statewide Sex Offender Database and Statewide Murderer HB3037 - 7 - LRB104 12006 LNS 22101 b and Violent Offender Against Youth Database of applicants for employment;

HB3037 Engrossed - 8 - LRB104 12006 LNS 22101 b (11) Sections 22-80 and 27-8.1 of this Code;

HB3037 - 8 - LRB104 12006 LNS 22101 b (17) the Seizure Smart School Act;

and HB3037 Engrossed - 9 - LRB104 12006 LNS 22101 b (37) Section 2-3.204 of this CodeCode; ;

(h) A charter school may negotiate and contract with a school district, the governing body of a State college or HB3037 - 9 - LRB104 12006 LNS 22101 b university or public community college, or any other public or for-profit or nonprofit private entity for:

(i) In no event shall a charter school that is established by converting an existing school or attendance center to charter school status be required to pay rent for space that is HB3037 Engrossed - 10 - LRB104 12006 LNS 22101 b deemed available, as negotiated and provided in the charter agreement, in school district facilities.

HB3037 - 10 - LRB104 12006 LNS 22101 b (j) A charter school may limit student enrollment by age or grade level.

HB3037 Engrossed - 11 - LRB104 12006 LNS 22101 b (b) A charter school may be established under this Article by creating a new school or by converting an existing public school or attendance center to charter school status.

This limitation HB3037 - 11 - LRB104 12006 LNS 22101 b does not apply to charter schools existing or approved on or before April 16, 2003.

(c-5) No later than January 1, 2021 or within the first year of his or her first term, every voting member of a charter school's board of directors or other governing body shall complete a minimum of 4 hours of professional development leadership training to ensure that each member has sufficient familiarity with the board's or governing body's role and HB3037 Engrossed - 12 - LRB104 12006 LNS 22101 b responsibilities, including financial oversight and accountability of the school, evaluating the principal's and school's performance, adherence to the Freedom of Information Act and the Open Meetings Act, and compliance with education and labor law.

In each subsequent year of his or her term, a voting member of a charter school's board of directors or HB3037 - 12 - LRB104 12006 LNS 22101 b other governing body shall complete a minimum of 2 hours of professional development training in these same areas.

A charter school shall comply with all non-curricular health and safety requirements applicable to public schools HB3037 Engrossed - 13 - LRB104 12006 LNS 22101 b under the laws of the State of Illinois.

Any charter contract between a charter school and its authorizer must contain a provision that HB3037 - 13 - LRB104 12006 LNS 22101 b requires the charter school to follow the list of all non-curricular health and safety requirements promulgated by the State Board and any non-curricular health and safety requirements added by the State Board to such list during the term of the charter.

The contractor shall not be an employee of the charter HB3037 Engrossed - 14 - LRB104 12006 LNS 22101 b school or affiliated with the charter school or its authorizer in any way, other than to audit the charter school's finances.

To ensure financial accountability for the use of public funds, on or before December 1 of every year of operation, each charter school shall submit to its authorizer and the State Board a copy of its audit and a copy of the Form 990 the HB3037 - 14 - LRB104 12006 LNS 22101 b charter school filed that year with the federal Internal Revenue Service.

HB3037 Engrossed - 15 - LRB104 12006 LNS 22101 b (3) the Local Governmental and Governmental Employees Tort Immunity Act;

HB3037 - 15 - LRB104 12006 LNS 22101 b (5.5) subsection (b) of Section 10-23.12 and subsection (b) of Section 34-18.6 of this Code;

HB3037 Engrossed - 16 - LRB104 12006 LNS 22101 b (21) Section 27-9.1a of this Code;

HB3037 - 16 - LRB104 12006 LNS 22101 b (27) subsections (d-10), (d-15), and (d-20) of Section 10-20.56 of this Code;

(i) the use of a school building and grounds or any other real property or HB3037 Engrossed - 17 - LRB104 12006 LNS 22101 b facilities that the charter school desires to use or convert for use as a charter school site, (ii) the operation and maintenance thereof, and (iii) the provision of any service, activity, or undertaking that the charter school is required to perform in order to carry out the terms of its charter.