SPRINGFIELD – Illinois students with learning disabilities who historically would have been sent to out-of-state schools will now have the opportunity of gaining an in-state education thanks to a plan backed by State Senator Doris Turner’s (D-Springfield)

“We have a responsibility as a state to protect our most vulnerable residents,” Turner said. “This duty means protecting our students and putting their needs first. I hope this law meets the needs of every student in this state while ensuring them a safe learning environment.”

House Bill 41 requires school districts to offer any child being placed in an out-of-state special education residential facility the option for placement in an in-state special education residential facility. The initiative, led by the Hope School in Springfield, was spurred by a shortage of residential facilities in other states.

Additionally, if the special education program of a school district is unable to meet the needs of a child and the child attends a private school or a public out-of-state school, then the child’s home district will be required to pay the cost of tuition and special education services during the regular school and summer terms and during the summer school term.

The legislation was signed into law today, and has an immediate effective date.

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