School Discipline Laws & Regulations by State & Category

The State Board of Education shall promote an annual campaign about disability history and awareness in this State. The campaign shall be designed to increase public awareness and respect for people with disabilities who comprise a substantial percentage of this State's population, teach future generations that people with disabilities have a rich history and have made valuable contributions throughout this State and the United States, and teach future generations that disability is a natural part of life and that people with disabilities have a right to be treated with civil, legal, and human rights and as full human beings above all else.

Every public school teacher shall teach character education, which includes the teaching of respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, trustworthiness, and citizenship, in order to raise pupils' honesty, kindness, justice, discipline, respect for others, and moral courage for the purpose of lessening crime and raising the standard of good character.

School districts shall provide instruction in violence prevention and conflict resolution education for grades kindergarten through 12 and may include such instruction in the courses of study regularly taught therein. School districts may give regular school credit for satisfactory completion by the student of such courses.

(a) The General Assembly finds that a safe and civil school environment is necessary for students to learn and achieve and that bullying causes physical, psychological, and emotional harm to students and interferes with students' ability to learn and participate in school activities. The General Assembly further finds that bullying has been linked to other forms of antisocial behavior, such as vandalism, shoplifting, skipping and dropping out of school, fighting, using drugs and alcohol, sexual harassment, and sexual violence. Because of the negative outcomes associated with bullying in schools, the General Assembly finds that school districts, charter schools, and non-public, non-sectarian elementary and secondary schools should educate students, parents, and school district, charter school, or non-public, non-sectarian elementary or secondary school personnel about what behaviors constitute prohibited bullying.

Bullying on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, physical or mental disability, military status, sexual orientation, gender-related identity or expression, unfavorable discharge from military service, association with a person or group with one or more of the aforementioned actual or perceived characteristics, or any other distinguishing characteristic is prohibited in all school districts, charter schools, and non-public, non-sectarian elementary and secondary schools. No student shall be subjected to bullying:

(a) The General Assembly finds that the instance of youth delinquent gangs continues to rise on a statewide basis. Given the higher rates of criminal offending among gang members, as well as the availability of increasingly lethal weapons, the level of criminal activity by gang members has taken on new importance for law enforcement agencies, schools, the community, and prevention efforts. (b) As used in this Section:

"Gang resistance education and training" means and includes instruction in, without limitation, each of the following subject matters when accompanied by a stated objective of reducing gang activity and educating children in grades K through 12 about the consequences of gang involvement:

(c) Each school district and non-public, non-sectarian elementary or secondary school in this State may make suitable provisions for instruction in gang resistance education and training in all grades and include that instruction in the courses of study regularly taught in those grades. For the purposes of gang resistance education and training, a school board or the governing body of a non-public, non-sectarian elementary or secondary school must collaborate with State and local law enforcement agencies. The State Board of Education may assist in the development of instructional materials and teacher training in relation to gang resistance education and training.

At least once every 2 years, licensed school personnel and administrators who work with pupils in kindergarten through grade 12 shall be trained to identify the warning signs of mental illness and suicidal behavior in youth and shall be taught various intervention techniques. Such training shall be provided within the framework of existing in-service training programs offered by the Board or as part of the professional development activities required under Section 21-14 of this Code.