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SPRINGFIELD – Two measures introduced by State Senator Ann Gillespie (D-Arlington Heights) that would assist school social workers with earning and paying off their degrees passed in the Senate Higher Education Committee on Tuesday.
“Illinois schools face a shortage of professional, culturally competent social workers,” Gillespie said. “We must make it easier for our future social workers to finish and pay off their education so that schools can hire the positions they desperately need to fill.”
Read more: Gillespie moves to address school social worker shortage
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SPRINGFIELD – As classes resume in-person, State Senator Ann Gillespie (D-Arlington Heights) passed legislation in the Senate Education Committee to ban the abuse of restraints and seclusion rooms in schools.
“With students returning to physical classrooms, our children should not fear that their basic dignity will be stripped away,” Gillespie said. “I remain committed to ending the inhumane practice of prone restraint and the abuse of seclusion rooms.”
Read more: Gillespie continues fight to end abuse of seclusion rooms in schools
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ARLINGTON HEIGHTS – State Senator Ann Gillespie (D-Arlington Heights) is announcing that school districts in the 27th Senate District will receive over $91 million in additional funding to help address the many challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This year has been especially hard on teachers, students and parents,” Gillespie said. “These federal funds will help our students and schools succeed as we return to in-person learning.”
The funding comes as part of the most recent federal COVID-19 relief packages. Schools, students and parents have overcome challenges that no one could have imagined before the pandemic began, including remote and hybrid learning, digital connection issues, new processes for receiving state and federal aid that normally flow through schools, and more.
Read more: Gillespie announces local schools set to receive over $91 million
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SPRINGFIELD – To improve health outcomes in communities across Illinois, State Senator Ann Gillespie (D-Arlington Heights) voted to pass major health care reform legislation that would make investments in community-based health centers and address systemic health disparities among marginalized groups.
“If we really want to improve health outcomes, we need to meet people where they are,” Gillespie said. “The meaningful investments this legislation makes in community-based health providers will make that happen.”
The legislation would facilitate coordination between Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and hospitals, evaluate Managed Care Organizations and create a $50 million maternal mortality prevention program among other technical provisions. The measure aims to improve health outcomes by addressing social determinants of health, including social, economic and physical environments.
House Bill 158 passed the Illinois Senate 41-16 and awaits the governor’s signature.