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ELGIN – August 27, 2012. Governor Pat Quinn today signed a new law to keep both students and faculty safe as they head back to school. House Bill 5602 allows juvenile criminal records to be shared with school officials when there is an imminent threat to individuals at the school and certain offenses have been committed by a student. Today's action is the latest by Governor Quinn to improve safety in Illinois schools.
“Our children and their teachers deserve to go to school everyday feeling safe,” Governor Quinn said. “This new law will help ensure that schools are safe learning environments where the bright young minds of our future can be nurtured without fear."
Sponsored by Rep. Carol Sente (D-Vernon Hills) and Sen. John Millner (R-Carol Stream), HB 5602 arose from an incident at School District U-46 in Elgin where a teacher was attacked by a student who was under investigation at the time for two other violent attacks. The new law, which is designed to strengthen safety in schools, provides that information from these law enforcement records may only be shared orally and may not become part of the student’s official school record or public record. This bill will require law enforcement and the school district to provide support services to an at-risk student when appropriate. The law is effective Jan. 1, 2013.
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