SPRINGFIELD â All high schools in Illinois would be required to offer instruction in how to understand and evaluate news and social media as part of their computer literacy courses under a bill that advanced out of a Senate committee Tuesday.
Sen. Karina Villa, D-West Chicago, argued in the Senate Education Committee that the bill is needed because vast changes in the media landscape that have occurred in recent years.
âIn the digital age, the internet has become the primary public square,â she said. âYoung people consume, create and share news throughout digital media. They debate and discuss social issues, politics and civic issues in online spaces. Theyâre also vulnerable to persecution and misinformation.â
Senate panel endorses ‘media literacy’ mandate in schools; work continues on bill limiting seclusion, physical restraints
Peter Hancock
Capitol News Illinois
SPRINGFIELD – All high schools in Illinois would be required to offer instruction in how to understand and evaluate news and social media as part of their computer literacy courses under a bill that advanced out of a Senate committee Tuesday.
Sen. Karina Villa, D-West Chicago, argued in the Senate Education Committee that the bill is needed because vast changes in the media landscape that have occurred in recent years.
“In the digital age, the internet has become the primary public square,” she said. “Young people consume, create and share news throughout digital media. They debate and discuss social issues, politics and civic issues in online spaces. They’re also vulnerable to persecution and misinformation.”
A bill that would ban physical restraint and timeout rooms in Illinois schools passed a Senate Education Committee on Tuesday.
The legislation, Senate Bill 2296 sponsored by state Sen. Ann Gillespie, would require all schools to eliminate reliance on any kind of timeout room and face down physical restraint. In addition, schools could seclude students in unlocked spaces and use other types of restraints only when it is deemed there is a danger of serious physical harm to the student or others.
Schools are now required to report every seclusion or restraint incident to the state and provide more employee training.
by Kevin Bessler, The Center Square | April 14, 2021 10:00 AM Print this article
A bill that would ban physical restraint and timeout rooms in Illinois schools passed a Senate Education Committee on Tuesday.
The legislation, Senate Bill 2296 sponsored by state Sen. Ann Gillespie, would require all schools to eliminate reliance on any kind of timeout room and face down physical restraint. In addition, schools could seclude students in unlocked spaces and use other types of restraints only when it is deemed there is a danger of serious physical harm to the student or others.
Schools are now required to report every seclusion or restraint incident to the state and provide more employee training.