SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — The Illinois House Education Policy Committee approved a bill Wednesday to stop police from giving tickets and citations to students for breaking school rules.
This proposal could also require police officers to be trained on how to handle students with disabilities if they enforce the law on school grounds.
Lawmakers and advocates filed this plan after ProPublica found 11,800 tickets were handed to students from 2019 to 2022.
"The goal of the bill is to basically say that if it is minor enough to be a municipal violation like vaping or minor fights, keep it in the school," said Aimee Galvin from Stand for Children Illinois. "School is a unique environment for offering discipline, unlike a business. If something happens at Walgreens, they don't have an after school detention or say 'you can't come to the dance.'"
Students could still be penalized for any serious crimes committed on school grounds.
The legislation passed out of committee on a 9-3 vote and now moves to the House floor for further consideration. Senate Bill 1519 passed out of the Senate on a 37-17 vote earlier this month.
"Disciplinary action, such as ticketing, has not and will not ever address the root cause of these behaviors," Villa said. "The practice of issuing tickets instead transfers the responsibility of paying the ticket on families, which can create an overwhelming financial hardship."
Copyright 2025. WAND TV. All rights reserved.
