Senate passes climate change education plan for public schools, sends bill to Pritzker

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — A bill heading to Gov. JB Pritzker's desk will require students in Illinois public schools to learn about climate change starting with the 2026 school year.

The proposal requires instruction on identifying environmental and ecological impacts of climate change on people and communities.

This plan also calls for education on solutions to address and mitigate the impacts of climate change.

"Our youth are already engaged in climate change and they are eager to learn about ways that they can come up with real meaningful solutions to address this concern," said Sen. Adriane Johnson (D-Waukegan).

Sponsors said public schools will have flexibility to include climate change information in existing science classes.

The Illinois State Board of Education could prepare multi-disciplinary instructional resources and professional learning opportunities for educators that may be used to meet the requirements. However, that provision of the bill is subject to state appropriations.

"Just seven years ago, lawmakers in the General Assembly were passing anti-climate change bills that were clearly founded on a lack of scientific understanding of this science," said Jen Walling, Executive Director of the Illinois Environmental Council. "The passage of House Bill 4895 is monumental - it is yet another example of the progress Illinois has made to both understand and address climate change."

House Bill 4895 passed out of the Senate on a 36-16 vote Thursday morning. The legislation previously passed out of the House on a 70-36 vote.