Illinois General Assembly - Full Text of HB4432

LRB104 17292 LNS 30714 b

104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026
HB4432

Introduced 1/20/2026, by Rep. Nicole La Ha

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

105 ILCS 5/10-20.69
105 ILCS 5/34-18.62

Amends the School Code. Requires a school district's policy on sexual harassment to include a method for reporting instances of sexual harassment. Provides that the policy may not require that a report be made in a particular manner for a complaint to be considered formal or official for the purposes of initiating an investigation. Provides that under the policy, a school district employee who is found to have engaged in sexual harassment shall be subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination.

STATE MANDATES ACT MAY REQUIRE REIMBURSEMENT MAY APPLY

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning education.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Sections 10-20.69 and 34-18.62 as follows:

(105 ILCS 5/10-20.69)

Sec. 10-20.69. Policy on sexual harassment. Each school district must create, maintain, and implement an age-appropriate policy on sexual harassment that must be posted on the school district's website and, if applicable, any other area where policies, rules, and standards of conduct are currently posted in each school and must also be included in the school district's student code of conduct handbook. The policy shall include a method for reporting instances of sexual harassment; however, it may not require that a report be made in a particular manner for a complaint to be considered formal or official for the purposes of initiating an investigation.

Under the policy, a school district employee who is found to have engaged in sexual harassment, as defined in the Illinois Human Rights Act, shall be subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination.

(Source: P.A. 101-418, eff. 1-1-20; 102-558, eff. 8-20-21.)

(105 ILCS 5/34-18.62)

Sec. 34-18.62. Policies on discrimination and harassment; prevention and response program.

(a) The school district must create, maintain, and implement an age-appropriate policy on sexual harassment that must be posted on the school district's website and, if applicable, any other area where policies, rules, and standards of conduct are currently posted in each school and must also be included in the school district's student code of conduct handbook. The policy shall include a method for reporting instances of sexual harassment; however, it may not require that a report be made in a particular manner for a complaint to be considered formal or official for the purposes of initiating an investigation.

Under the policy, a school district employee who is found to have engaged in sexual harassment, as defined in the Illinois Human Rights Act, shall be subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination.

(b) The school district must create, maintain, and implement a policy or policies prohibiting discrimination and harassment based on race, color, and national origin and prohibiting retaliation. Such policy or policies may be included as part of a broader anti-harassment or anti-discrimination policy provided they are distinguished with an appropriate title, heading, or label. The policy or policies adopted under this subsection (b) must comply with and be distributed in accordance with subsection (b) of Section 22-95 of this Code.

(c) The school district must establish procedures for responding to complaints of discrimination and harassment based on race, color, and national origin, and retaliation. These procedures must comply with subsection (c) of Section 22-95 of this Code.

(Source: P.A. 102-558, eff. 8-20-21; 103-472, eff. 8-1-24.)