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Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD – A House committee advanced a bill Wednesday that would give high school student athletes the right to participate in both school-sponsored teams and nonschool teams in the same sport at the same time, despite concerns that such a policy could create friction between coaches and jeopardize students’ safety. House Bill…

Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD — It’s been just four months since the last election concluded, but another election is on the horizon in Illinois: the April 1 elections for school boards and municipal offices. Though municipal and school board races in Illinois are nonpartisan, voters may see many of the same political themes that were…

Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD – When Gretchen Weiss applied for a teaching position at Macomb Middle School in west-central Illinois more than 20 years ago, the school’s policy was to keep applications on file for only a year due to the large volume of applicants. That is no longer the case. Now, applications are kept…

Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD – From hiring retired educators to adjusting class offerings, Illinois schools are relying on a variety of short-term, innovative measures to cope with a prolonged and critical statewide teacher shortage. The most recent survey of education leaders from the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools, or IARSS, shows overall shortage…

Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD – Increased pay for educators, better school conditions, mentoring and mental health support are key factors cited by educators that could help alleviate the critical ongoing teacher shortage in Illinois. “Poor Working Conditions” are among the top three causes of the shortage, according to the 2024-2025 Illinois Educator Shortage Survey released…

Capitol News Illinois Illinois Republican senators have filed bills that would combat the state’s fentanyl crisis and further punish major possessors of the drug. One bill would reclassify a fentanyl overdose as a “poison,” while another would consider major fentanyl possessors a threat to public safety. According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, Illinois…