HB5240 Summary

• Requires the State Board of Education to file a notice of emergency rulemaking under the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act when moving to remove a nonpublic school's recognition status due to a perceived emergency situation, with rules specifically detailing the emergency and its impact on students and personnel.

• Mandates that nonpublic schools seeking recognition status prohibit hairstyles historically associated with race, ethnicity, or hair texture, including braids, locks, and twists.

• Requires fingerprint-based criminal history background checks and Statewide Sex Offender Database checks for all employees and applicants hired after July 1, 2007, with fees reimbursed by the State Superintendent of Education subject to appropriations.

• Prohibits recognition status for schools that knowingly employ persons convicted of enumerated criminal offenses, drug offenses, or felonies within 7 years, or those found to be perpetrators of sexual or physical abuse of minors.

• Extends background check requirements to student teachers and contractors (food service, bus drivers, transportation) with direct daily contact with pupils, with conviction records kept confidential and shared only with necessary personnel.