School Bullying, Violent Incident Data Now Public Under IL Law

SPRINGFIELD, IL — A new law out of the Illinois Senate will require schools to report instances of bullying and violence to the Illinois State Board of Education, which will then post the number of incidents on the agency's annual "report card."

The legislation was signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker Friday. Originally SB 633, the law states ISBE must catalogue any violence that occurs on school grounds or during school-related activities that results in a student being removed from the area. This could mean an out-of-school suspension or expulsion.

"Nationwide rates of violence between students are alarming—to ensure we're keeping our students safe, we need a deeper understanding of the issue in Illinois," said Sen. Laura Murphy (D-Des Plaines). "The first step toward solving any problem is gathering information."

ISBE's School Report Card provides information on public schools across the state such as academic performance, teacher retention and state testing growth. By making the number of incidents public, lawmakers said they hope to identify bullying trends.

According to Murphy, about 962,300 violent incidents occurred in U.S. public schools during the 2017-18 school year. The School Survey on Crime and Safety, which Murphy cites, acknowledged that many schools have plans to address natural disaster and active shooter crises, but not necessarily more common acts of violence such as theft or vandalism.

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The U.S. Department of Education survey also stated 71 percent of schools reported having at least one violent incident.

The law states ISBE must begin publishing the requested data in the 2022-23 school year.