Bill mandating climate change education in Illinois heads to Gov. Pritzker’s desk - WGEM
Bill mandating climate change education in Illinois heads to Gov. Pritzker’s desk
SPRINGFIELD (WGEM) - Students across Illinois may soon be required to learn about climate change.
The state Senate passed a bill Thursday with bipartisan support mandating climate change education in public schools. It would require schools teach students about climate change’s environmental and ecological impacts on individuals and communities and look at potential solutions to mitigate its impact.
“Our youth are already engage in climate change and they are eager to learn about ways they can come up with real meaningful solutions to address this concern,” said state Sen. Adriane Johnson, D-Buffalo Grove, the bill’s Senate Sponsor.
She said the bill would not require schools create a new climate change course. They would only have to include the instruction in their curriculum.
The bill’s opponents argued the legislation is unnecessary as schools are already teaching students about climate change.
The state House of Representatives passed the bill on April 18. It now heads to Gov. JB Pritzker’s desk.
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Related Knowledge Center: Climate legislation
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