|
House Bill 4316 was signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker after passing
the Illinois legislature unanimously. Supporters of the measure
say it's a follow-up bill to Faith's Law, which passed last
year.
Faith’s Law expands the criminal definition of grooming beyond
electronic communications to include written communications and
acts committed in person or by conduct through a third party.
State Sen. John Connor, D-Lockport, filed the legislation and
called the measure a follow-up to Faith's Law.
"HB4316 is a follows-up last year's Faith's Law, which expanded
the definition of grooming to educator-related situations not
covered in criminal law," Connor said.
Connor said the legislation could keep those who may not have
been criminally charged from ever working in another school.
"In a situation where a prosecution does not occur for a
predatory teacher, this permits those school districts to track
that information and share it with other districts," Connor
said.
Under HB4316, if there is an allegation of sexual misconduct
that is found to be supported, superintendents must notify
school boards and notify parents.
The measure also requires schools to conduct employment history
reviews on new hires to ensure that teachers with a history of
misconduct do not get hired again, Connor said.
"As a prosecutor, I have encountered child exploitation
situations involving educators in which teachers just went from
school to school after something occurred," Connor said. "This
bill is going to address that problem."
Now signed into law, HB4316 goes into effect on July 1, 2023.
Andrew Hensel has years of experience as a
reporter and pre-game host for the Joliet Slammers, and as a
producer for the Windy City Bulls. A graduate of Iowa Wesleyan
University and Illinois Media School, Andrew lives in the south
suburbs of Chicago.
|
|
