SPRINGFIELD – To give parents the peace of mind that videos of their students at school won’t be shared with unauthorized parties, State Senator Laura Murphy (D-Des Plaines) advanced legislation out of the Senate Thursday to remove the video recording requirement from the Illinois edTPA teacher licensing assessment.

“Uploading videos of children to a third-party vendor poses a cybersecurity risk, threatening kids’ privacy, and in some cases, their safety,” Murphy said. “It’s time to explore more secure ways to assess our student teachers’ performance.”

The legislation would establish student teachers cannot be required to videotape themselves or their students in order to earn a license.

Currently, student teachers in Illinois must record themselves and their students on video to pass the edTPA, an assessment required for their teaching license. The video is then uploaded and sent to a third-party vendor for evaluation. The edTPA requires just two short segments of video, but student teachers are encouraged to record hours of footage to choose from.

The legislation would still allow teacher education programs to videotape for in-house teaching purposes, and licensed teachers and administrators could still film students in order to gain National Board Certification or for training, sporting events or promotional purposes.

“Aspiring educators shouldn’t have to put their students at risk to gain a license,” Murphy said. “This legislation takes an important step in protecting children’s privacy.” 

Senate Bill 808 passed the Senate with bipartisan support and now heads to the House.

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SPRINGFIELD – A measure sponsored by State Senator Steve Stadelman (D-Rockford) that pushes to ensure local journalism survives in Illinois’ small towns and mid-sized cities passed the State Senate on Thursday.

“I’ve dedicated years of my life to journalism, so I understand the importance of having access to local news,” Stadelman said. “Illinoisans deserve to know what’s happening in their communities, regardless of where they live.”

The measure would create the Local Journalism Task Force, which would be made up of 10 individuals representing print and broadcast media, journalism schools, and state and local government. They would be charged with conducting a study on communities underserved by local journalism and making recommendations on how to preserve and restore news coverage in these areas.

Declines in advertising revenue and circulation have meant that nearly half of the newsroom jobs at newspapers that existed in 2004 have since disappeared—and more than 2,000 papers around the country have closed over the past 15 years.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Michael E. Hastings (D-Frankfort) passed legislation through the Senate Wednesday that would allow airline employees to use earned sick time to care for loved ones.

“Forcing hard-working individuals to make a choice between their livelihood and their family is morally bankrupt,” Hastings said. “Numerous corporations throughout America have figured this out, and it is time airlines follow suit.”

SPRINGFIELD – A measure sponsored by State Senator Christopher Belt (D-Centreville) that would require the Illinois State Board of Education to create an unused food program for schools passed the State Senate on Thursday.

“No child in Illinois should go to bed hungry,” Belt said. “This program will build on the success of the free lunch and breakfast program the state already has in place.”

The program would allow public schools to provide their leftover food to students who already receive free or reduced lunch and breakfast. Like the free lunch and breakfast program, the food must be free to the students.

SPRINGFIELD -- When a person with a mental health condition calls 911, they don’t always need the hospital – but are typically taken to an emergency room rather than the mental health facility they require. State Senator Melinda Bush (D-Grayslake) lead a measure through the Senate that would change that by allowing EMS workers to take patients where they’ll most benefit.

“Imagine going through a mental health crisis, then being taken to an emergency room, rather than a place that can actually help you,” Bush said. “That’s going to cause anger and frustration – let alone waste time that could be used to begin treatment.”

SPRINGFIELD – Running for elected office calls for a lot of long days, late nights and busy weekends. It can be discouraging for people with children – especially single parents – to chase their desire to serve their communities.

To enable more women – and all parents – to seek public office, State Senator Melinda Bush (D-Grayslake) spearheaded a movement to allow campaign finances to pay for child care.

“The window is narrow for women who have young children to run – and it’s time to change that,” Bush said. “No one should have to choose between serving their community and being a parent.” 

SPRINGFIELD – With the Illinois Holocaust and Genocide Commission set to expire on Jan. 1, 2022, State Senator Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago), one of two Jewish members of the Illinois Senate, is sponsoring a measure to extend the expiration by ten years.

“The Holocaust is among the most heinous events in human history,” Feigenholtz said. “Nearly a century later, not only are we seeing more and more adults and children articulate the depth of the Holocaust, we have seen increased hate crimes towards Jewish people in our country. It is extremely important that we continue educating our youth and work to find innovative ways to teach tolerance alongside the atrocities of the Holocaust.”

SPRINGFIELD – To provide targeted support to college students and staff in Illinois, an initiative sponsored by State Senator Laura Murphy (D-Des Plaines) to create an online resource hub geared toward campus mental health passed the Senate Wednesday.

“The challenges of higher education can take a toll on the entire campus community,” Murphy said. “This initiative would provide students and professors alike an easy-to-access website listing all available resources to help manage stress, anxiety and depression.”

The legislation would require the Department of Human Services to maintain a page on its website with mental health resources specifically tailored to post-secondary education institutions, their staff, students and families.

Currently, DHS provides digital brochures and links on its website of helpful tools for those who may be dealing with a mental health concern. However, the website does not contain provisions directly targeted to post-secondary education and its communities.