At the end of July, Illinois enacted new legislation that positively impacts families who have school-aged family members with special needs.

Illinois HB 40 allows students in special education to continue attending school through the end of their academic school year in which they turn 22 years old.  As you are likely aware, until now, students in Illinois with disabilities were only eligible for services until the day before their 22nd birthday. Graduations were occurring on birthdays regardless of where that date falls on the school calendar.

Illinois HB 2748 allows students with disabilities who turned 22 during the pandemic to remain eligible for educational services through the end of the 2021-2022 school year. This provides an additional year of transition services for those students who can benefit from it.

These new bills have the potential of providing significant benefits to many children and their families. Many students suffered last year by not being in a classroom. Educational and behavioral advancements were more limited for many and some experienced regressions as a result of the COVID disruption.

An additional benefit of the new legislation is that students who are in transition programs will now graduate with all their peers at the end of the school year. Including the students participating in the transition programs in the school-wide graduation ceremonies was something that a few schools had been doing. The legislation should make it a standard practice.

If you have any questions about your child and the academic services and supports that they are receiving, please contact Oak Wealth Advisors.