At this year’s virtual National PTA Convention, four resolutions were adopted by the delegates:

Resolutions are how a local PTA or PTA Council can direct the Illinois PTA or National PTA to take action on an issue. In fact, one resolution passed at the National PTA Convention started out as a resolution from a local PTA at the Illinois PTA Convention in 2021.

Resolution on Hazing

This resolution is an update of one originally adopted in 1988. As the resolution notes, 46 states have at least some type of law against hazing. In Illinois, hazing is a Class A misdemeanor unless it results in death or great bodily harm, in which case it is a Class 4 felony. School officials (e.g., administrators, teachers, counselors, paid or volunteer coaches) who observes an act of hazing and does not report it can be charged with a Class B misdemeanor or a Class A misdemeanor if the hazing results in death or great bodily harm.

Hazing is still a concern, as evidenced by the recent reports of widespread hazing at Northwestern University. The resolution calls for National PTA and its constituent organizations (that’s Illinois PTA and all our local PTAs, PTA Councils, Districts, and Regions) to encourage institutions at all levels of education to review their policies and procedures on hazing, communicate those policies and procedures to families and students, and educate PTA members on the dangers of hazing.

Your PTA or PTA Council can act on this resolution by contacting your school board regarding the district’s policies and procedures on hazing, questioning the district on how those are communicated with families and students, and working with the district to inform families and students on what hazing is and what to do if they are a victim of hazing or witness hazing.

Resolution on Seizure Safe Schools

This resolution calls for schools to have a Seizure Action Plan for students with epilepsy. An estimated 450,000-470,000 children in the United States have epilepsy. With many schools not having a school nurse or other licensed healthcare professional on campus full-time, a Seizure Action Plan and training of school personnel to deal with seizures can be critical to saving lives.

In Illinois, the Seizure Smart School Act was signed into law in 2019 and went into effect July 1, 2020. The law requires every student with epilepsy to have a Seizure Action Plan on file and signed by their healthcare provider. Public school personnel are also required under the law to be trained in the basics of seizure recognition and first aid, as well as the appropriate emergency protocols spelled out in a student’s Seizure Action Plan. The law also requires each student with a Seizure Action Plan to have a delegated care aide, a school employee who has received training and will assist the student in implementing any seizure action. In many cases, this is a school nurse or a classroom teacher.

With this law already in effect in Illinois, there is not much that PTAs and PTA Councils need to do to implement this resolution. However, the resolution does call for PTAs at all levels to bring seizure awareness to the entire education community so students with epilepsy or a seizure disorder can feel safe at school without fear of being stigmatized. Your PTA or PTA Council could share information on epilepsy and seizures or work with an organization like the Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Chicago to develop a presentation or event on the topic.

Resolution on Safe Storage of Firearms

Illinois PTA adopted a resolution on the safe storage of firearms at the 2021 convention. One of the actions in the resolution was to take it to National PTA. Michigan PTA also submitted a similar resolution on the topic, so we worked with them to consolidate the two resolutions into the one adopted at this year’s National PTA Convention.

As this is basically one of Illinois PTA’s resolutions, we’ve been working on its implementation for several years now with some success. Safe gun storage is to be included in any class discussing safety in the home. In addition, the Illinois Department of Public Health is conducting a two-year safe gun storage education campaign that includes a gun lock and gun safe distribution campaign and gun buy-back programs. Illinois PTA is also developing a ready-to-use article that PTAs can include in their newsletters or e-mail out to members.

While SB1521, requiring safe gun storage, did not move in the Senate this spring, the governor has indicated recently (scroll down to the “More from the Q and A…” section) that he believes we need to pass a safe gun storage law, also known as Ethan’s Law. Such support could help get the bill to move during the fall veto session in October and November or during next spring’s regular session. If so, Illinois PTA will be issuing a Call to Action on the bill, and encouraging your PTA members to respond by contacting legislators with our pre-written letter can help move the bill to passage.

Resolution on the Protection of and Support for LGBTQ+ Individuals

This resolution notes that civil rights laws have in the past helped to make school environments safer and more inclusive for those students protected by such laws. However, while civil rights laws protect against discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, and disability, they do not protect against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.

The resolution also notes that harassment and bullying policies that specifically mention sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression are associated with students feeling safer, lower levels of bullying, decreased incidents of harassment related to sexual orientation, increased teacher/staff intervention in such bullying and harassment, and a greater reporting of incidents.

The resolution calls for National PTA to seek and support legislation that specifically recognizes LGBTQ+ as a protected group and addresses discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. National PTA is also called on to encourage state and local PTAs and PTA Councils to review school policies focused on the creation of a safe, inclusive, supportive, and accepting environment and to support revisions and amendments that specifically address the topics of sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression as they relate to safe schools.

In Illinois, such anti-discrimination laws have been in place since 2006, and sexual orientation in the law explicitly includes gender identity. These non-discrimination laws also cover LGBTQ students. Anti-bullying laws and policies in schools also explicitly include LGBTQ students, and state curriculum standards are required to be LGBTQ-inclusive. Illinois is considered a national leader in such policies, and you can find out more information here.