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104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026
SB3036

Introduced 1/28/2026, by Sen. Laura Ellman

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

105 ILCS 5/2-3.208
105 ILCS 5/26-1

from Ch. 122, par. 26-1

Amends the School Code. Provides that the statement included in the
State Board of Education's list of the identified days and dates of
cultural, religious, or other observances shall also encourage schools to
avoid, if possible, scheduling significant academic deadlines or major
school events on the identified days and dates of cultural, religious, or
other observances. Provides that upon the posting and distribution of the
list, a district superintendent shall distribute information to all
faculty and staff about upcoming days and dates of cultural, religious, or
other observances. Requires these days and dates to also be acknowledged
and posted on official school or administrative calendars. With respect to
a child being excused from attending school because of religious reasons,
provides that if the exact date of the absence cannot be determined more
than 5 days in advance due to the use of a lunar or other nonfixed
calendar, notice of the child's absence shall be given as soon as
reasonably possible. Provides that any child excused from attending school
because of religious reasons shall be granted reasonable academic
accommodations without penalty. Requires a district superintendent's
procedures regarding a student's absence for religious reasons to include
guidance on adjustments to academic schedules, assignments, or major
school events.
LRB104 18421 LNS 31863 b
STATE MANDATES ACT MAY REQUIRE REIMBURSEMENT
MAY APPLY

A BILL FOR

SB3036
LRB104 18421 LNS 31863 b
1

AN ACT concerning education.

2

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3
represented in the General Assembly:

4

Section 5.
The School Code is amended by renumbering and
5
changing Section 2-3.206 and by changing Section 26-1 as
6
follows:

7

(105 ILCS 5/2-3.208)
8

Sec.
2-3.208

2-3.206
.
Scheduling guidance for major school
9
events.
10

(a) As used in this Section, "major school event" means a
11
school sanctioned or sponsored event that is part of a school
12
or school district's locally created school calendar for the
13
year, including, but not limited to, events or activities that
14
would be difficult for a student to make up.
15

(b) The State Board of Education, in consultation with
16
stakeholders, shall identify dates during the year of cultural
17
or religious significance to the student population and in
18
which students may have out-of-school commitments or otherwise
19
be unable to participate in a major school event.
20

By July 1 of each year, the State Board of Education shall
21
prominently post on its website and distribute to each school
22
district a nonexhaustive list of the identified days and dates
23
of cultural, religious, or other observances for, at a

SB3036
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LRB104 18421 LNS 31863 b
1
minimum, the school year that begins in the next calendar year
2
as a resource for making scheduling decisions for major school
3
events. The list shall include a statement encouraging schools
4
to be mindful of the days and dates of cultural, religious, or
5
other observances that impact student participation as schools
6
plan major school events.
The statement shall also encourage
7
schools to avoid, if possible, scheduling significant academic
8
deadlines or major school events on the identified days and
9
dates of cultural, religious, or other observances.

10

(c) The list of cultural, religious, or other observances
11
under subsection (b) shall additionally include a statement
12
indicating that the list is only for scheduling guidance
13
purposes and does not affect a student's right to be excused
14
from attendance because of the observance of a religious
15
holiday pursuant to Section 26-2b of this Code, regardless of
16
whether the religious holiday appears on the list.
17

Upon the posting and distribution of the list, the State
18
Board of Education shall also inform school districts that the
19
list is nonexhaustive and that a school district may include
20
additional days and dates on its locally created school
21
calendars based on community feedback or demographics.
22

The State Board of Education shall additionally distribute
23
the list each year to relevant associations or entities as
24
determined by the State Board of Education.
25

(d) Upon the posting and distribution of the list under
26
subsection (b), a district superintendent shall distribute

SB3036
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LRB104 18421 LNS 31863 b
1
information to all faculty and staff about upcoming days and
2
dates of cultural, religious, or other observances. These days
3
and dates shall also be acknowledged and posted on official
4
school or administrative calendars.

5
(Source: P.A. 104-115, eff. 8-1-25; revised 10-10-25.)

6

(105 ILCS 5/26-1)

(from Ch. 122, par. 26-1)
7

Sec. 26-1.
Compulsory school age; exemptions.
Whoever has
8
custody or control of any child (i) between the ages of 7 and
9
17 years (unless the child has already graduated from high
10
school) for school years before the 2014-2015 school year or
11
(ii) between the ages of 6 (on or before September 1) and 17
12
years (unless the child has already graduated from high
13
school) beginning with the 2014-2015 school year shall cause
14
such child to attend some public school in the district
15
wherein the child resides the entire time it is in session
16
during the regular school term, except as provided in Section
17
10-19.1, and during a required summer school program
18
established under Section 10-22.33B; provided, that the
19
following children shall not be required to attend the public
20
schools:
21

1. Any child attending a private or a parochial school
22

where children are taught the branches of education taught
23

to children of corresponding age and grade in the public
24

schools, and where the instruction of the child in the
25

branches of education is in the English language;

SB3036
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LRB104 18421 LNS 31863 b
1

2. Any child who is physically or mentally unable to
2

attend school, such disability being certified to the
3

county or district truant officer by a competent physician
4

licensed in Illinois to practice medicine and surgery in
5

all its branches, a chiropractic physician licensed under
6

the Medical Practice Act of 1987, a licensed advanced
7

practice registered nurse, a licensed physician assistant,
8

or a Christian Science practitioner residing in this State
9

and listed in the Christian Science Journal; or who is
10

excused for temporary absence for cause by the principal
11

or teacher of the school which the child attends, with
12

absence for cause by illness being required to include the
13

mental or behavioral health of the child for up to 5 days
14

for which the child need not provide a medical note, in
15

which case the child shall be given the opportunity to
16

make up any school work missed during the mental or
17

behavioral health absence and, after the second mental
18

health day used, may be referred to the appropriate school
19

support personnel; the exemptions in this paragraph (2) do
20

not apply to any female who is pregnant or the mother of
21

one or more children, except where a female is unable to
22

attend school due to a complication arising from her
23

pregnancy and the existence of such complication is
24

certified to the county or district truant officer by a
25

competent physician;
26

3. Any child necessarily and lawfully employed

SB3036
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LRB104 18421 LNS 31863 b
1

according to the provisions of the Child Labor Law of 2024
2

may be excused from attendance at school by the county
3

superintendent of schools or the superintendent of the
4

public school which the child should be attending, on
5

certification of the facts by and the recommendation of
6

the school board of the public school district in which
7

the child resides. In districts having part-time
8

continuation schools, children so excused shall attend
9

such schools at least 8 hours each week;
10

4. Any child over 12 and under 14 years of age while in
11

attendance at confirmation classes;
12

5. Any child absent from a public school on a
13

particular day or days or at a particular time of day for
14

the reason that he is unable to attend classes or to
15

participate in any examination, study, or work
16

requirements on a particular day or days or at a
17

particular time of day because of religious reasons,
18

including the observance of a religious holiday or
19

participation in religious instruction, or because the
20

tenets of his religion forbid secular activity on a
21

particular day or days or at a particular time of day. A
22

school board may require the parent or guardian of a child
23

who is to be excused from attending school because of
24

religious reasons to give notice, not exceeding 5 days, of
25

the child's absence to the school principal or other
26

school personnel
, except that if the exact date of the

SB3036
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LRB104 18421 LNS 31863 b
1

absence cannot be determined more than 5 days in advance
2

due to the use of a lunar or other nonfixed calendar,
3

notice shall be given as soon as reasonably possible
. Any
4

child excused from attending school under this paragraph 5
5

shall not be required to submit a written excuse for such
6

absence after returning to school.
Any child excused from
7

attending school under this paragraph 5 shall be granted
8

reasonable academic accommodations without penalty.
A
9

district superintendent shall develop and distribute to
10

schools appropriate procedures regarding a student's
11

absence for religious reasons,
including, but not limited
12

to, guidance on adjustments to academic schedules,
13

assignments, or major school events,
how schools are
14

notified of a student's impending absence for religious
15

reasons, and the requirements of Section 26-2b of this
16

Code;
17

6. Any child 16 years of age or older who (i) submits
18

to a school district evidence of necessary and lawful
19

employment pursuant to paragraph 3 of this Section and
20

(ii) is enrolled in a graduation incentives program
21

pursuant to Section 26-16 of this Code or an alternative
22

learning opportunities program established pursuant to
23

Article 13B of this Code;
24

7. A child in any of grades 6 through 12 absent from a
25

public school on a particular day or days or at a
26

particular time of day for the purpose of sounding "Taps"

SB3036
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LRB104 18421 LNS 31863 b
1

at a military honors funeral held in this State for a
2

deceased veteran. In order to be excused under this
3

paragraph 7, the student shall notify the school's
4

administration at least 2 days prior to the date of the
5

absence and shall provide the school's administration with
6

the date, time, and location of the military honors
7

funeral. The school's administration may waive this 2-day
8

notification requirement if the student did not receive at
9

least 2 days advance notice, but the student shall notify
10

the school's administration as soon as possible of the
11

absence. A student whose absence is excused under this
12

paragraph 7 shall be counted as if the student attended
13

school for purposes of calculating the average daily
14

attendance of students in the school district. A student
15

whose absence is excused under this paragraph 7 must be
16

allowed a reasonable time to make up school work missed
17

during the absence. If the student satisfactorily
18

completes the school work, the day of absence shall be
19

counted as a day of compulsory attendance and he or she may
20

not be penalized for that absence; and
21

8. Any child absent from a public school on a
22

particular day or days or at a particular time of day for
23

the reason that his or her parent or legal guardian is an
24

active duty member of the uniformed services and has been
25

called to duty for, is on leave from, or has immediately
26

returned from deployment to a combat zone or

SB3036
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LRB104 18421 LNS 31863 b
1

combat-support postings. Such a student shall be granted 5
2

days of excused absences in any school year and, at the
3

discretion of the school board, additional excused
4

absences to visit the student's parent or legal guardian
5

relative to such leave or deployment of the parent or
6

legal guardian. In the case of excused absences pursuant
7

to this paragraph 8, the student and parent or legal
8

guardian shall be responsible for obtaining assignments
9

from the student's teacher prior to any period of excused
10

absence and for ensuring that such assignments are
11

completed by the student prior to his or her return to
12

school from such period of excused absence.
13

Any child from a public middle school or high school,
14
subject to guidelines established by the State Board of
15
Education, shall be permitted by a school board one school
16
day-long excused absence per school year for the child who is
17
absent from school to engage in a civic event. The school board
18
may require that the student provide reasonable advance notice
19
of the intended absence to the appropriate school
20
administrator and require that the student provide
21
documentation of participation in a civic event to the
22
appropriate school administrator.
23
(Source: P.A. 102-266, eff. 1-1-22; 102-321, eff. 1-1-22;
24
102-406, eff. 8-19-21; 102-813, eff. 5-13-22; 102-981, eff.
25
1-1-23; 103-721, eff. 1-1-25
.)

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