Measures to give legal protection to students, guidelines for schools come into effect on January 1st
Written by Peter Hancock
capitol news illinois
phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com
Story summary
- Illinois lawmakers have responded to President Trump's crackdown on immigrant communities with new legal protections for students and guidelines for schools that go into effect on January 1st.
- Community colleges will be prohibited from using AI bots to teach classes in place of human instructors.
- The Illinois State Board of Education will begin drafting guidelines for the use of AI in K-12 settings.
This summary was written by the reporter and editor who worked on this article.
SPRINGFIELD — Immigrant rights and artificial intelligence were two of the hottest issues impacting public education in 2025. They are also subject to new education laws that will come into force at the beginning of the new year.
As soon as President Donald Trump took office for a second term in January, the rights of noncitizen students, including those not legally present in the United States, rose to the top of the education agenda.
On the day President Trump took office, the Department of Homeland Security canceled This was a Biden administration policy that would limit immigration enforcement in or near “sensitive locations” such as schools, playgrounds, child care centers and school bus stops.
Two days later, Illinois State Superintendent Tony Sanders said: issued He urged local school officials to adopt policies, calling it “non-regulatory guidance,” that spell out when and how teachers and staff should cooperate with federal immigration officials who take enforcement actions and seek information from school officials.
In the state Legislature, the Democratic-led General Assembly also took action, passing a bill aimed at further expanding legal protections for noncitizens living in Illinois.
Participation in school programs
Among them are House Bill 3247The legislation passed the General Assembly on the last day of the spring session in May and was signed into law on August 15. The law prohibits schools from excluding or preventing students from attending school or participating in school programs based on the student's immigration status or the immigration status of their parents or guardians.
“In the face of federal threats to our schools and students, our community has come together to demand that state leaders stand up for the education of all Illinois children,” Lawrence Benito, executive director of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, said in a statement after final approval of the bill.
“While the right to a safe and free public education remains under attack from President Trump and other state leaders, Illinois has an opportunity to continue defending our values.”
The law specifically prohibits schools from requesting or collecting information about citizenship or immigration status from students, their parents or guardians, unless required by state or federal law.
It also prohibits schools from disclosing information about a person's immigration or citizenship status to any other person or entity, including immigration authorities or law enforcement, except as required by federal law.
Additionally, starting July 1, schools that violate these prohibitions may be sued for actual damages in civil court.
Scholarships and status of residence
Another new law expands the types of publicly funded scholarships that students can qualify for regardless of their citizenship or immigration status.
Illinois law already extends eligibility for state-funded student financial aid, such as the award program and MAP grants, to students who meet Illinois residency requirements. House Bill 460Signed into law in August, it expands its scope to include programs administered by local governments.
Artificial intelligence in universities
The recent rapid adoption of new technologies such as ChatGPT, Copilot, and Gemeni has raised many new questions for educators. Should students be allowed to use them instead of reading and writing themselves? And should schools themselves be allowed to use them to teach classes instead of human instructors?
Illinois lawmakers answered some of these questions.
House Bill 1859 Community colleges are required to ensure that faculty teaching courses must be actual individuals who meet the qualifications for the position. It also stipulates that universities may not use AI programs in place of faculty “as the sole source of instruction.” However, teachers are allowed to use AI as a teaching tool in the classroom.
“Artificial intelligence is a powerful tool to improve the learning and teaching abilities of students and teachers, but it cannot replace instructors,” the bill's lead House sponsor, Rep. Abdelnasser Rashid, D-Bridgeview, said in a statement. “This law makes clear that university courses must be taught by real people, not AI.”
AI in elementary and junior high schools
Lawmakers were less specific about how AI should be handled at the elementary and secondary school levels. Instead, it directed the Illinois State Board of Education to develop broad guidelines.
Senate Bill 1920 Directs ISBE to develop statewide guidance for school districts and educators on the use of AI in K-12 settings. It includes a basic explanation of what AI is and how it works, as well as an explanation of how it can be used in the classroom to “inform teaching and learning practices while preserving the human relationships essential to effective teaching and learning.”
The law also directs ISBEs to include guidance on the impact of AI systems and applications on student data privacy, best practices for teaching students about the responsible and ethical use of AI, and the risks of “unintentional disparate bias against special populations inherent in artificial intelligence products.”
The law directs ISBE to publish these guidelines by July 1.
Other teaching methods
Also, starting January 1, students in grades 7 and 8 will be able to earn high school credits early.
House Bill 3039 Authorizes school districts to award credit to 7th and 8th grade students who enroll in high school classes as long as they pass both the course and end-of-course exam demonstrating that they have reached high school level proficiency.
House Bill 1366 Requires parents of students with special needs to notify the school district of their right to have a third-party support person present at the student's individualized education plan meeting or IEP meeting.
capitol news illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news organizations across the state. Funded primarily by the Illinois Publishing Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
