Ensuring Success in School Act Stakeholders Reach Compromise; Safe Homes Act Amendments Pass Both Houses in Illinois

After a strong finish in the Illinois House, the Ensuring Success in School Act (ESSA) (House Bill 1330) initially met some resistance in the Senate. The advocacy efforts of Wendy Pollack, the director of the Women’s Law and Policy Project (WLPP) at the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law, combined with allies and supporters throughout Illinois, were effective in producing what is now an agreed-upon bill. The Senate passed ESSA unanimously on May 25; the bill is now awaiting a concurrence vote in the House.

The focus of the legislation is still to ensure that children and youths who are parents, expectant parents, or the victims of domestic or sexual violence stay in school, stay safe while in school, and complete their education.

H.B. 1330 now has two main provisions. The first creates the Ensuring Success in School Task Force to develop policies, procedures, and protocols to be implemented by school districts. The task force will accomplish the following:

·       Conduct a thorough examination of the barriers to school attendance, safety, and completion of school.

·       Conduct a discovery process that includes relevant research, best practices, and policy, including expert testimony, in Illinois and elsewhere.

·       Conduct meetings and hearings around the state to ensure maximum participation by local schools and advocates as well as students and their parents.

·       Report to the Illinois General Assembly on findings, recommendations, and an implementation plan.

The second provision requires a biannual in-service training for school personnel on the needs of students who are expectant or parenting youths or victims of domestic or sexual violence.

The ESSA Task Force will afford us a critical opportunity to collect data, narratives, and model policies and determine the policies, procedures, and protocols to be implemented in Illinois elementary and secondary schools and to inform future legislation. The WLPP has already assembled state and national-level coalitions, which include researchers, clinicians, advocates, and experts on the issues of pregnancy and parenting, and domestic and sexual violence among children and youth. The coalitions speak to the depth and breadth of the work on the ground to update obsolete school policies, create new benchmarks for progress, and ultimately ensure success in school. If you would like to join the Illinois ESSA Coalition so that you may contribute to and keep informed of the progress of the ESSA Task Force, contact Wendy Pollack at wendypollack@povertylaw.org. 

Amendments to the Safe Homes Act

Senate Bill 534, the amendments to the Safe Homes Act, unanimously passed both chambers of the Illinois General Assembly. The legislation expands the coverage provided to domestic and sexual violence victims who live in rental housing. Effective beginning last January, the initial version of the Safe Homes Act gave victims and their household members a legal basis to end their lease early or obtain an emergency lock change. With the amendments set forth in S.B. 534, and once the bill is signed into law by Gov. Rod Blagojevich, domestic and sexual violence victims who have an oral lease may now use the lock-change provision as long they have a court order granting them exclusive possession of the premises. The amendments also require of landlords and tenants a good-faith effort to furnish a new set of keys to the other party within 48 hours of a lock change. To voice your support and to urge Governor Blagojevich to sign the bill, contact the toll-free capitol switchboard at 1-888-801-4426 or write to Hon. Rod Blagojevich, Office of the Governor, 207 State House, Springfield, IL 62706.

For more information about H.B. 1330, the Ensuring Success in School Act, please contact Wendy Pollack, director of the Women’s Law & Policy Project at the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law, at 312-263-3830 ext. 238 or wendypollack@povertylaw.org.