Hyde Park-Kenwood CAC

Remote

This is a remote assignment. The meeting will be held via Google Meet; we will forward the link to you as it becomes available.

From the HPKCAC Secretary: The agenda for the meeting will include a discussion of the ARA, 4th ward TIF Funding and the Right to Play Bill (info below).

Right to Play Bill There is a bill (SB654) that has passed in the IL Senate and is now in the IL House of Representatives. If it becomes law it would require all IL public elementary schools to give students self-directed play time/recess every day. (Note that this is different from Phys Ed.) The version that passed in the Senate required 60 minutes every day but current negotiations in the House will likely see that number decreased somewhat.(House version now requires only 30 minutes for K-5.) SB 654 prohibits recess from being withheld from students as a form of punishment. Pilot programs have shown that more self-directed play for students leads to better focus and behavior in the classroom and improved academic outcomes.

This bill fits into our HPKCAC priorities on early childhood education and advocacy.

At the May 26 meeting we would like to vote on whether the HPKCAC wants to formally support this bill. We’ll have 15-20 minutes to discuss the bill before taking a vote on it.

You can also learn more about the bill here.

Please note that as an individual you can fill out a witness slip as a proponent of the bill at any time. If you don’t know how to fill out a witness slip, you can learn more about that here.