January 28th is Data Privacy Day, an international annual day of awareness to promote protection of our personal data.

Illinois has a state law to protect student data privacy, the Student Online Personal Protection Act---a law that will be even stronger when the amendments we worked to pass last year go into effect.

But, even as it stands now, vendors cannot legally sell, rent or lease student data they collect in Illinois' schools.

In this issue:

1. Our newest campaign: the Right to Play Every Day!
2. Keep pressure on the College Board to stop illegal data sales
3. Graduated income tax on the ballot in November

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“Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.” --Fred Rogers

Play is fundamental to the human experience.  The Convention on the Rights of the Child, ratified by 190 nations, recognizes play as a basic right for children.

Play is a crucial component of education and development, enhancing a child's social, physical and emotional health along with academic achievement and abilities.

Illinois has no requirement for time devoted to play during elementary school, including no requirement for outdoor recess.

Illinois Families for Public Schools is currently working to pass SB654, the Right to Play Every Day bill. This bill after its amendment would require public schools to provide a 30 minutes of daily play time for all students in kindergarten through 5th grade. You can download a fact sheet about the bill here. (And you can read about why 60 minutes of play in full school day makes sense here.)

We are thrilled to have the support for this bill from Access Living, Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood, Chicago Teachers Union, Community Organizing and Family Issues (COFI), Defending the Early Years, Illinois Association for the Education of Young Children, Illinois Federation of Teachers, Illinois Optometric Association, Legal Council for Health Justice, National Association of Social Workers - IL Chapter, Northern Illinois Nature Preschool Association, Northside Action for Justice, Parents 4 Teachers, POWER-PAC IL, Raise Your Hand, Sierra Club - IL Chapter.

Help us pass this bill

• Sign up below to get action alerts and to connect with others in your district!
• Contact your IL state representative and ask them to sign on as a sponsor of SB654.

Resources: why we need play in school

BOOKS

• Let the Children Play: How More Play Will Save Our Schools and Help Children Thrive. Sahlberg and Doyle. 2019
• Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life Gray. 2013
• Power of Play: How Spontaneous, Imaginative Activities Lead to Happier, Healthier Children. Elkind. 2007
• A Child's Work: The Importance of Fantasy Play. Paley. 2004

ARTICLES

• "A proposal for what post-coronavirus schools should do (instead of what they used to do)." Sahlberg and Doyle. Washington Post. April 2020
• "Kids Need Play and Recess. Their Mental Health May Depend on It." Hynes. Ed Week. Aug. 2018
• "From Playing to Play Advocacy: An Interview with Olga S. Jarrett " Journal of Play. Winter 2019
• "A Research-based Case for Recess." Position paper from the US Play Coalition, American Association for the Child’s Right to Play (IPA/USA) and the Alliance for Childhood. 2019.

PODCASTS

• FreshEd Podcast: Let the Children Play (Pasi Sahlberg and William Doyle) Dec 2 2019
• WBAI's Talk Out of School: "Whole Child Education and the importance of play" Feb 5 2020
• KQED Mindshift: "Childhood As ‘Resume Building’: Why Play Needs A Comeback" Sept 3 2019

[Image used via Creative Commons]

In this issue: 

1. College Board’s data sales — Ask your legislators for a subject matter hearing; 
2. FTC looking at changing privacy rules for schools — Submit comments;
3. President Cullerton retiring — One of the biggest obstacles in the ongoing fight for an elected board for Chicago is stepping down in January; 
4. Quick links — What’s in the new contract for Chicago teachers; ISBE budget hearing & board meeting; delay on effective date for new law on IEP paperwork.

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It’s nine school days into a Chicago teacher and staff strike, the second day of fall veto session in Springfield, and a great time to call your state senator and ask why Chicago families are still waiting for an elected, representative school board. (Find your state senator’s phone number here!)

In this issue: 

1. Veto session — Call your legislators about HB256 & SB453; 
2. Standardized tests and student data privacy — College Board’s data sales and Pearson’s massive breach; 
3. #RedforEd — Teachers’ fight for resources around the state

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Governor Pritzker signed a slew of bills into law this past Friday—including two of our very own initiatives, student data privacy and class size goals, and three more important laws that we’ve been working on with coalitions! 

These bills' passage are the outcome of years of hard work and would not have been possible without the collective action of parents and public school supporters across Illinois!

For Immediate Release, Monday Aug 26, 2019

Contact: Cassie Creswell, 773-916-7794

On Friday Governor Pritzker signed PA 101-0516 (HB3606), an update to Illinois’ Student Online Personal Protection Act (SOPPA) into law. The legislation, one of the most far-reaching student data protection laws in the country, will provide much greater transparency and control to parents on how schools, vendors and the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) are collecting and using data from public school students from preschool through 12th grade.